


To Possess a Heart

by Saaga



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Bullying, Canon Compliant, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Eventual Smut, Falling In Love, Fluff and Angst, Humor, Insecurity, Jealousy, M/M, Pining, Possessive Behavior, Slow Burn, friends being dorks, or more like lame attempts at comedy, the GoM and other familiar faces will make guest appearances
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-23
Updated: 2019-12-25
Packaged: 2020-12-31 18:44:36
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 21
Words: 52,737
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21150440
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Saaga/pseuds/Saaga
Summary: When they meet, Murasakibara and Himuro clash instantly, both taken aback by the other's talent in basketball. A bit by bit their competitiveness turns into a mutual understanding that blossoms into a friendship of sorts. Trouble arises when Murasakibara realises that he’s addicted to the tender smile of his beautiful new teammate.





	1. Stranger

**Author's Note:**

> I can't believe my first work here is a Murahimu fic, but I just love these two dorks so goddamn much!  
Anyways, I have no concrete plan as to how long I'll make this, because there's no real plot - just me having a lot of fun with these guys, and I hope someone else finds enjoyment from my work as much as I do!

Himuro Tatsuya slumped onto his bed after he had finished unpacking all his stuff neatly into the small wardrobe and desktop. With no more than an hour spent in the cramped space that was to be his home for almost two years, he already hated it. Living in the dorms was still better than staying with his father. The divorce had been rough and Tatsuya just wanted – or rather needed – space.

Yosen High was a good school. The campus was the biggest in the region, the results of the alumni spoke for the quality of education and most importantly, the basketball team ranked as one of the best in the country. Yosen wasn’t Rakuzan, but Tatsuya didn’t really want to go to an academy meant for elite snobs even if his parents could have afforded the tuition fees.

A teen familiar with the streets of LA shouldn’t be too out of place in Yosen.

He would still draw attention. 

Afterall he was a foreigner who would join an established class in the middle of a school year. Even with the summer break behind them, the students would take note of him.

Tatsuya turned over and groaned into the pillow. He really missed LA, but there was no helping reality.

***

Suddenly Tatsuya felt tiny. In Japan someone his height could be considered tall but this basketball team had invested in getting_really_ tall players. He greeted the Chinese exchange student from his class with whom he had already chatted a bit and offered a polite nod to the other guys standing by the court. There was another guy over two meters who must have been the Captain, Okamura, and the two of them left him feeling like a kid again in the presence of adults.

“Just wait ‘til you see the real giant,” said an ash-haired player who looked comically tiny beside their bulky captain and Liu Wei. “That is, if he doesn’t get lost on his way like that one time.”

“If he dares to miss practice, he will regret it for the weeks to come especially after his little stunt at the Inter-High,” their coach, a stern-faced woman grumbled while tapping her foot. Liu had warned Tatsuya of Coach Araki and her _shinai_ that was apparently no joke.

“Well”, Coach sighed, “gather around everyone.” She blew the whistle and surprisingly quickly everyone stood in neat lines with first-string members at the front. Tatsuya had no idea what to do, so he just stayed awkwardly a bit apart from everyone. This coach would tell him his place sooner or later.

That being sooner.

“We have a new member in the club. Introduce yourself.”

No need to say it politely. This is how things are gonna be then at Yosen… Tatsuya didn’t really mind. He stepped in front of everyone and plastered a friendly smile onto his face.

“I’m Himuro Tatsuya from class 2A. I transferred here from Los Angeles. At my old school I was a starter and played as shooting guard.” That had to be more than enough. Oh wait! Japan – this was Japan. “I will work hard and do my best for the team. Please take good care of me.”

“Thank you Himuro”, Araki spoke up and told him to stay put for a moment. “Second and third-stringers will practice with Onodera and prepare for the level assessments this Friday.”

Once most of them had moved out to other courts with an older man, their coach ordered the others to start doing shuttle runs. Tatsuya assumed he was to receive extra orders but got no such special treatment. Eventually he walked after Liu with Coach’s orders to do squats once they are done bellowing in his wake.

He kept a lively conversation with his new friend and the two other starters next to them, Okamura and Fukui, throughout the sweat-inducing drills. In fact, he had been so focused that he hadn’t noticed the door open and close or the one-sided argument going on at the other end of the court. Once Coach blew her whistle again they returned to the benches and Tatsuya saw _him_.

_He_ sat slumped on the bench but Tatsuya could still see the guy was massive. Unkempt purple hair reached his shoulders and covered half of his face, which was not enough to hide the undeniable childlike pout. This had to be their center, Murasakibara Atsushi, who according to Liu was among the strongest high school players in Japan despite being a first year. Liu had called him a miracle.

Purple eyes landed on him, their apathetic gaze only hinting at confusion at the sight of a new face.

“Ahlalaa, we have a new player?” The slightly nasal voice was completely monotonous as if he had no actual interest in the matter, and no one but Tatsuya seemed to pay any mind to him.

Arrogant. That’s what the boy was. It could be sensed instantly even if Murasakibara didn’t show it in an obvious way such as proper posture. He was confident in his strength without a hint of uncertainty, and Tatsuya couldn’t wait to play and defeat him. On cue, Taiga’s face popped up in his mind.

He forced his usual smile to the giant as a sign of acknowledgement, but he already had a feeling they would not get along. This guy was even worse than his little brother. There was no fire in Murasakibara. Tatsuya managed to hide his drive inside his core but there were others like himself and he knew that the passion still shone through. Everything about Murasakibara was indifferent and empty; his heavily lidded eyes, flat tone of voice and disinterested expression spoke of laziness and reluctance to even be there to play basketball.

“Himuro, since you have experience as a starter, I’m testing you against our defenders to see whether you have what it takes in Yosen,” Coach said. Only then did Tatsuya notice the plastic bag full of colourful bags of chips she was holding, but he managed not to comment on that and simply agreed to the challenge.

“I don’t have to play, right?” Murasakibara whined and looked sheepishly at the woman.

“Not unless I think he can defeat even you.”

“In that case I’ll crush him,” Murasakibara hummed, lighting fury inside Tatsuya. He was a proud man and no brat – no matter how massive they were – would talk about him in such a belittling manner.

“Let’s see what you can do!” he said to his new team in English.

***

The Captain was too slow for his fakes. Tatsuya wouldn’t have stood a chance defending against him, but that went both ways.

Interested eyes were plastered onto his back as he waltzed past Okamura and scored yet again.

“Change!” Araki called out, and soon Liu stood in front of him while Okamura returned to the bench where Fukui patted his back. The ball felt comfortable against his fingers and it bounced heavy against the floor. Once. Twice. Thrice. And he moved.

He faked to the left and drove past Liu’s long limbs on the right. At least that's what he had tried to do, but Liu was quick and managed to still be marking him. Tatsuya faked again and instead of trying to get past, he jumped up. The net swooshed.

“Not bad,” Liu commented as he stared at the ball that he had let past his defences.

“Okamura, Liu, Fujishima, on the court!” Coach ordered and the Captain and another guy who had to be over 190cm marched over to man the inside. She could send the entire first-string and the outcome wouldn’t change. Tatsuya had played this game since he could remember. He had been personally trained by a retired WNBA player. Together with Taiga they had ruled the street courts of LA California. Height didn’t intimidate him.

It was a dance to him that no one could follow.

***

The new guy certainly knew how to play basketball. He was a graceful little thing with a style so perfected that it forced even Atsushi to pay attention against his will. How annoying.

The beauty in his movements showed the years of endless practice. This guy was a hard-worker who must have believed that if he just kept on training to the brink of exhaustion, eventually he could take on anyone.

So so annoying. Atsushi felt an urge to crush him, to see that smug grin fade in the face of absolute defeat. He would show him such power that no amount of hours could surpass. Basketball wasn’t fair.

Before he realised what was going on, he was already standing on the court and picking up the ball after the jump shot the little bird had used to finish off his attack. All four stared at him – his teammates in surprise, and the fierce look in the visible grey eye of the black-haired teen spoke of intrigue. He was hungry for a challenge.

Atsushi tossed the ball to him and told the others to get out of his way.

“Good luck-aru, Himuro!” Liu quipped. So that was his name. Whether it was one worth remembering was uncertain.

He heard the others whisper behind him but paid no mind to them.

“If you get a single basket against me, you win.”

“Out of how many?” Himuro asked with his pretty face twisted into a condescending smirk.

“Doesn’t matter – you aren’t gonna score one anyways.”

At that the other just clicked his tongue scornfully. He was the first to ever underestimate the great crusher of the courts. Well, he would soon regret it.

Fakes and fast jump shots were futile against Atsushi who managed to swat the ball away every time. But Himuro did try, time and time again, and started even doing double fakes, but nothing worked. Himuro was good but not much compared to the old ace of Teiko, and even Minechin had had difficulty getting past Atsushi's blocks.

Himuro’s frown grew fouler and fouler every time he failed, and Atsushi could feel he was about to break. Even Iron Heart had lost his will in the long run, meanwhile Atsushi remained immovable.

“Give up already. This is getting tiring. It’s obvious that you can never get past me no matter what you attempt.” He started slouching toward the benches. Maybe now that he had willingly played, Masakochin would return his snacks.

Slender fingers clasped onto his wrist with a firm grip.

“One more go.” Himuro stared at him intensely. “I will definitely score this time.”

“Huh? You’re so annoying… If you’re just wasting my time, I’ll crush you completely next time.”

There was that sly smile again.

Atsushi took his stance in front of Himuro and kept his eyes open. This guy couldn’t disappear like Kurochin so there was unlikely anything he could actually do. Atsushi was willing to humour him for now, just to see the hurt on his face later.

Himuro went for a jump shot. His shots might be impressive but nothing that couldn’t be stopped.

And yet the net behind him swooshed.

He had only swung at air.

Everyone stared at them in silence with their mouths open. His expression couldn’t have been much different. Then slowly their Captain started clapping and was soon joined by the rest of the first string who were all in awe. No one in Yosen had ever managed to get past him when he actually put in the effort to block an attack. 

How? _ How? _

Atsushi stared at the little guy who seemed unaffected by the attention, unaware of what it meant.

“You’re an impressive player, Murasakibara,” Himuro complimented him in passing on his way to get the ball. “You forced me to play all my cards.” He gave out an exaggerated sigh as if in defeat.

“And I still blocked you over ten times… Next time I’m definitely gonna crush you.”

Himuro chuckled and flashed a smile that seemed to make him sparkle. Atsushi scowled at the peculiar sight. It was too weird.

“I gladly accept that challenge, Murasakibara.” 

His name being chirped by this little bird in such a happy manner sounded wrong. He was now determined to crush Himuro and force him to return to wherever he had come from. 

He walked away without saying anything else. What was there to say even? He had challenged the other and lost all the same.


	2. Himuro Tatsuya from LA

Next time at practice wasn’t any better. They ran through the ordinary drills and Atsushi watched Himuro put his everything into whatever they were doing – warm-ups, dribbling, passing – and he one-upped the other in it all. 

Masakochin paired him up with Himuro to get a better look at the new guy’s offensive fortitude. This was his chance to crush the little bird.

One glance around revealed that even the guys at the other end of the court were staring, but not at Atsushi. Himuro had everyone enchanted. What were they? Idiots? No matter how skilled, no matter how hardworking, no matter how beautiful, he would crush Himuro Tatsuya from LA without mercy.

Again and again. On the third attempt he swatted the ball out of Himuro’s hand with a little more force than necessary.

Himuro was dribbling in front of him, eyes darting left and right, before he moved. To the left… No, to the right! Atsushi stepped to the side only to notice from the corner of his eye a black haired figure drive past him on his left. He spun around to block Himuro from getting any closer to the hoop, but Himuro was already in the air ready to shoot.

Atsushi leapt to stop the shot but like last time, the ball glided through his hand right into the hoop. He had been particular on having his hand in the way at the moment of release. So how?

With gritted teeth he went to pick up the ball. It was solid in his hand, so how could it have passed through him?

“Why are you frowning?” Himuro asked without fully managing to hide the cocky smirk pulling at the corners of his mouth.

“Again.” He tossed the ball to Himuro. This time if Himuro used the same shot, he would jump later, because it was glaringly obvious that he had been timing his blocks wrong. Himuro dribbled his way inside and out of high speed stopped to make a jump shot. Atsushi waited for a while before jumping after him but the ball was already in the air. As if in slow motion, it flew over him right into the basket.

“Did Murasakibara really fail to block again?” Fukui said to Okamura in astonishment.

“Again!” Atsushi was determined. This time he didn’t care about meticulous planning. He would jump as high as he could and use his entire bulk to stop whatever shot the other guy planned on using.

As his muscles were tensing, he noticed it was still another fake. How many was Himuro even going to do? Whatever, he needed but take a single leap and they would be in the same situation again. Himuro was jumping and this time it couldn’t be a fake. So Atsushi too pushed himself into the air.

There was the early release again but it didn’t send the ball flying. Instead Himuro caught it. 

Ahlalalaa, so that was the secret.

When Himuro released the ball for real, Atsushi grabbed it right out of the air like it was a rebound. Once he landed, he stepped backwards and bounced the ball heavily while forcing eye contact with Himuro who appeared shocked that his weapon had been rendered useless.

He crouched and twisted his body before jumping to get maximum power into the dunk. Only when he was turning around mid-air did he lose sight of Himuro, but he was certain that the other was still looking at him. Good. Atsushi would show him how this sport really worked.

He hammered the ball in with all his strength and clung to the hoop. The basket creaked as the hoop dislocated from the backboard and he fell down with the thing still in his clasp.

“Oopsies…” He stared at the dark holes in the plywood left behind by the screws stuck to the metallic hoop in his hand.

The silence in the gymnasium was heavy and every step he took echoed around him. He stopped right in front of Himuro and looked down at him from full height. He was such a fragile creature that Atsushi could crush him physically with no effort.

“Take whatever pride you want in your style of basketball, but don’t fool yourself into believing you could ever beat me. Defence, offence, doesn’t matter – your efforts will be futile.”

Himuro gazed at him for a while before looking away with a quiet huff. He was playing with the ring that hung around his neck and then turned back to Atsushi. He was frowning but somehow his face was still unblemished.

“If that is all you think it takes to crush me, you underestimate me. I’m disappointed.”

Atsushi really wanted to say something but coming up with proper words was too bothersome so he just stared into the visible stormy grey eye for a moment. This guy was really getting on his nerves… Whatever.

“Sorry,” he rolled the word with a lazy grin. He wasn’t even certain what he was apologising for, but it came out of habit after the endless confrontations with Kurochin. This game was no longer interesting. In the end Himuro Tatsuya from LA was nothing special.

He winced at the sight of Masakochin marching towards them with her _ shinai _ in hand.

***

What the hell was his problem?! Tatsuya tapped his desk with his pen and failed to concentrate on his chemistry homework. That brat from practice had apparently made it his life’s mission to crush his will to continue playing basketball. How the others in the team stood his behaviour was perplexing. Murasakibara was like a kid whose absolute power had been questioned by the new guy who had managed to beat him a few times.

Maybe he should have gone to another school after all… If things were to continue like this, Tatsuya didn’t know how to stay sane and he had only been to practice twice. The entire team still considered him a fantastical being for having gotten past that monster even thrice but that wasn’t enough.

Many before Murasakibara Atsushi had doubted his abilities and he had eventually proved them all wrong. Now he just had to do it all over again.

He dropped the pen, picked up his phone and grabbed the ball lying about near the door. There was a remote outside court he had spotted on the campus map. He would train until he cried blood.

Tatsuya wouldn’t have noticed the flow of time if he hadn’t been stupid enough to forget his water bottle. He had also been too pissed off to remember to eat and dinner at the dorms was over… He had no other option but to get a sandwich or something like that from a convenience store and fortunately there was one right outside the campus area.

He walked through the rows of shelves looking for anything quick and filling to eat before finding an endless amount of different flavoured breads in a cooler. His stomach growled audibly. Without looking into his options he took one and was ready to hurry to the drinks section, but instead he ran into a warm wall.

“Hah?” The voice was too familiar and Tatsuya quickly lifted his gaze to see a head of purple hair above him.

Jeez. Today couldn’t be bad enough already.

Murasakibara stared at him for a while before wrinkling his nose in disgust.

“You’re sweaty. And now you got it on my shirt…”

“Well, you ought to have minded your surroundings.” He forced a polite smile and tried to get around the guy.

“Neh, where do you think you’re going with that?” Tatsuya stopped in his tracks and turned to look at Murasakibara once again to see what on earth he meant. The boy was rummaging the cooler while humming contentedly to himself. “This one’s the best… Or then you just have horrible taste.”

Murasakibara took the bread in Tatsuya’s hand and passed him a shrimp sandwich with such weird ingredients that Tatsuya couldn’t have considered it even if he had been looking into what he took.

“Thanks, I guess,” Tatsuya said a bit reluctantly. What the hell was going on with this guy? First he is attempting to crush him and now he is acting all friendly out of nowhere.

“Just what did she tell you?” he couldn’t help asking only to receive no response, just a puzzled look. “Coach Araki, I mean. A few hours ago you were ready to kill me.”

Murasakibara huffed and averted his gaze. He had hit the nail on the head.

“She would confiscate my snacks for the whole month if I kept threatening my teammates,” came out the mumbled reply at which Tatsuya couldn’t help but laugh.

“Are you really still playing?” The sudden question silenced him. Purple eyes looked him up and down landing on the basketball in his hand.

“Not all of us are naturally talented”, Tatsuya said. He would have killed to have what Murasakibara had, but facts were facts and life wasn’t fair. That didn’t mean he wouldn’t give his everything rather than admitting defeat. He wasn’t that weak.

“That sounds bothersome. You’re weird.” Without anything else to say Murasakibara turned and disappeared into the snack aisle.

What the everliving fuck was wrong with this guy? Tatsuya shook his head and went his own way.

He was suddenly motivated to train even harder to improve on every aspect of his abilities and to strengthen his physique. About an hour later he realised he had gotten an audience out of a tall figure looming behind the fence. Tatsuya put on a show for him with his fakes and finishing off with a jump shot he managed to transition into perfectly.

The guy stood there in silence for a moment longer before eventually continuing to sloth his way back to the dorms.

Weird didn’t quite cut it anymore.

***

The week continued like that: occasional morning practice, school, practice, homework and playing on the outside court almost until curfew. The team seemed to have fully accepted him into their ranks. Tatsuya aced the level assessments on Friday, and there was already talk of him becoming a starter. Murasakibara had opted to let go of his attempts to crush him and just kept to himself. Coach Araki clearly had high hopes of their center and ended sessions often with a three on one with Murasakibara on defence and Okamura, Fukui and Liu on offence. At first the match up seemed unfair to Himuro but soon enough he noticed that Murasakibara managed to block an attack more often than not.

By now he had learned of the Generation of Miracles, and he was slowly starting to understand what that meant.

Tatsuya was truly impressed but also proud of himself. Witnessing Murasakibara crush three strong players at once explained why they had congratulated him so much after single-handedly scoring a grand total of three times.

Coach put him up against Murasakibara sparingly and never one-on-one. She must have realised things would only end up ugly that way. When he was on offence with Okamura and Fukui, he managed to get past a few times more than on his own, but he still knew he was far too weak to even compare to the true miracle. It was beyond frustrating but he couldn’t allow himself to get focused on his obvious jealousy. All he could do was train harder than anyone else.

On Saturday he headed for the court before noon. It was quite windy, but not enough to bother him yet. On the way there, he went to his contacts and dialled the second number on the list. It might have been evening in LA but there was no way she wouldn’t pick up.

The phone beeped twice.

“Tatsuya!” Alex sang into the receiver. “It’s been too long!”

He really missed Alex and her antics. Apart from being a spectacular mentor, she was good at listening to his worries and giving advice from an adult perspective. She was more of a mother than his own Mom had ever been. It was nice hearing her voice again and listening to her rant about the recent news of LA courts.

“So, spill the beans. How’s your new team?” The question was bound to have been asked at some point.

“They’re nice enough. The starters are all decent players and three of them are over two meters. There’s this one guy I don’t get on too well with but everyone else is cool with me. One of them’s in my class so I’ve managed to befriend him, and the Captain keeps asking me to help him get in contact with girls,” he chatted on, avoiding what he really wanted to do: complain. “Oh yeah, I’m probably becoming a starter soon since Coach is making me play in a practice match on Monday.”

“Obviously you’ll be a starter! You seem to have picked a good school. Now now, I need to know, is there anyone eye-catching on the team?” Alex asked with an audible smirk. _ Is there anyone you wanna bang? _

“Alex!” he gasped as if the question was too scandalous. “No, thank heavens. You could say our point guard has his cute points but he’s not my type. Drama-free years ahead!” He shuddered at the memory of everything that had went down in LA, and he was positive there wasn’t going to be a repeat of that.

Alex whined, which made it sound as though she was disappointed, but she had to be relieved that Tatsuya would be free to just concentrate on playing without any distractions.

“There’s this guy who is eye-catching though – but not in an attractive way.” Tatsuya thought for a moment, and yeah, he really wouldn’t call _ him _ handsome. Messy hair, sharp features, bored eyes, and immature behaviour. His body was divine despite his diet but that was about it. “He’s even better than Taiga and I. He blocked my Mirage Shot on his fourth attempt, so I am currently powerless against him.” He sighed quietly. “But I’m training to perfect my fakes. I’m still gonna get through that giant.”

“Oh this sounds interesting! He must be a real monster at defending to stop one of my boys.”

“Yeah… But I saw a glimpse of his offensive play and lets just say he is unstoppable – broke the hoop with his dunk.”

Alex was humming, brimming with intrigue, and Tatsuya realised he had complimented that brat against his better judgement.

“Just look up his old boyband of freaks – the Generation of Miracles from Teiko. You should find him easily enough if you really want to know more. _ He’s the big one _,” he said. He hated to admit it but after hearing about the undefeated middle school team he had found himself reading about them a bit: the power forward who could manage any shot, the small forward who could copy any move, the shooting guard who never missed, the point guard captain who was dubbed the emperor of the courts, and the immovable center with the record of over a 100 points in a single game.

They were all monsters.

He didn’t really want to think about how far away he was from them, so he distracted Alex by asking how her relationship was going only to find out she had dumped her newest catch like all the others that year. In that sense they were far too similar.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just had to include Mukkun breaking the basket! Also I'm sorry if I'm getting the characters wrong, but they have meshed with my headcanons way too much so it's all a big mess.
> 
> This fic will eventually go into a more fluffy-fluffy direction from the basketball-centric stuff, but next up is still a practice match.


	3. Cake

Masakochin benched him. Not fair. For once he wanted to play because Himuro had promised to treat the players to the local café if they won and free cake was worth the trouble. The offer couldn’t have included the benchwarmers unless Himuro Tatsuya from LA was loaded, because obviously they would be victorious – even if they were going up against the second strongest team in the region.

To add, his snacks were still confiscated after the incident on Tuesday so he really had nothing to do but watch. He was bored before the other team even got there.

And when they were there, he was bored and annoyed. Of course they had also noticed the new guy, and their number seven had taken a real interest in him. The bloke kept bullying Himuro, calling him stupid names while also suggesting dirty things. Atsushi was starting to get bothered by all the noise and even more annoyed by the fact that Himuro simply stood there smiling… Just stop already!

Atsushi had had enough and excused himself to go to the toilet. There was no way he could be away for long or Masakochin would personally hunt him down. By the time he would have to return, at least the game should have started.

He found a few maiubou bars from his locker and munched on them in the peace and quiet of the empty locker room. It was nice for the five minutes that it lasted. Then he headed back with his shoulders hunched and hands in the pockets of his jersey jacket. He really had to figure out a way to get to bring snacks to practice again.

His eyes darted automatically to the scoreboard and he had to look again just to be sure he wasn’t seeing things.

Three minutes in and Yosen was leading by ten points.

They were on offence again. Fukui was dribbling the ball and glancing around for best plays. He passed to Fujishima who passed it back once Himuro broke free from his double team and was ready for the ball. Like in their first practice, Himuro faked past three defenders on his way to the inside before executing a simply elegant jump shot over Number Seven’s block.

Atsushi saw that self-satisfied smirk he had cursed earlier, but now that it wasn’t used to spite him, he didn’t hate it. Seven was dumbfounded as the scoreboard flickered to 14–2.

Maybe this was going to be entertaining after all.

“Took you long enough,” Masakochin chided, and he mumbled a quick _ sorry _ while sitting down. “Murasakibara, you’re playing in the second half.”

“Neh?” He glanced at her, but she was going to give no further explanation to the change of plan. It was likely to see how their new formation was going to work, because by now it was obvious that Himuro would be getting Fujishima’s spot as a starter.

After Liu’s block, Okamura and Himuro managed a fast break that ended in a graceful three pointer by the little bird. Time slowed down as the ball spun in the air and straight into the basket. It reminded him of Midochin’s shots but somehow it was even more beautiful though not as impressive.

From there on he couldn’t get his eyes off the guy. Himuro might have been annoying but there was no denying the elegance of his style. This was the first time Atsushi saw him on defence, and he was taken by surprise. Himuro jumped high to block an attack and managed to even jab the ball out of the point guard’s hand with Fukui’s assistance.

Himuro made basketball look like a dance. It was unfair how perfect someone could be. He had been surrounded by all kinds of wonders in Teiko, but none had caught his attention like Himuro Tatsuya from LA.

This time he used the Mirage Shot and the difference in their scores grew yet again right at the end of the first quarter with the board displaying 28 and 8. Their players returned to the bench, and Himuro sat down next to him. He drank quickly before giving Atsushi a curious look.

Shit. He must have still been staring. Well, he wasn’t bothered to turn away.

“You crushed him,” he said blankly. Himuro chuckled at that.

“I simply educated him when he underestimated me.”

“Neh, why can Himuro crush people but I can’t?” he whined. This guy was getting praise but he had had his snacks taken away.

“Maybe,” Fukui turned to look at him over Himuro with a scowl, “just maybe it’s because you try to crush your own teammates, idiot. Himuro’s being useful, unlike you.”

“He scored twenty points by himself-aru.”

“Well, has he scored a hundred points?” he scoffed at Liu.

“Neither have you in Yosen!” Masakochin hissed and Atsushi was afraid that she would come up with even more punishments for him.

“Because I’m not bothered…” He shrugged.

He felt the boy beside him shake as he was trying not to laugh.

“If you’re _ bothered _ to score ten points in the second half, you can join us for cake,” Himuro said. The offer was tempting.

“Fine.”

***

“What on earth are you doing? You could have easily blocked that!” Fukui snapped at Liu who had let their opponents score their seventh point midway through the second quarter.

“Fukui, that was clearly an accident, so don’t be too harsh. Even Fujishima and I have failed a few blocks.”

“No one asked you, Gorilla. Geez, where’s the ball anyway. Himuro and I will just do this alone since you lot are absolutely useless.”

Tatsuya smiled to himself. The score was already 39 to 16. They could just enjoy themselves. If it wasn’t for two purple eyes boring holes into the back of his head he could have even been comfortable. Now he didn’t know what to feel. Why was Murasakibara staring at him so intently? Had he done something to offend him deeply or did Murasakibara want to rip his clothes off?

Probably not the latter. He doubted Murasakibara had any desires outside of snacks and seeing people get mentally hurt by his doing.

So why the sudden interest?

The buzzer rang to end the first half with a score of 48 to 21 in favour of Yosen. Tatsuya almost pitied the players from the other team, who had no idea of the storm headed their way. They wouldn’t score another point in the game – not even their strong power forward or shooting guard would be able to breach Murasakibara’s defences.

And that made Tatsuya feel good.

When the second half eventually began, he witnessed Murasakibara move to offence with his long hair flowing. The other team watched in horror. Of course this couldn’t have been the first time they had to play against the Miracle considering they were the top teams in the same region, but maybe they had never expected him to move away from the hoop.

The game turned into brutal destruction. After his opening dunk Murasakibara sprinted to take his position on defence again where he completely shut out the opposing team. At both ends of the court he was unbothered by the other team as if they were nothing but tiny flies to be swatted away.

On his fifth attack he used the form Tatsuya had already seen. Murasakibara turned around in the air and slammed the ball with such force it knocked down two players. He stood still for a while, staring down at the guys, especially the power forward. Then he hurried over to Tatsuya.

“Ten. Do I get cake now?” He looked so innocent and childlike when he said the words.

“Of course. You played well.” A grin spread across Murasakibara’s features as he jogged back to their basket under which he remained until the end of the game. They won with a score of 95 to 21, and Tatsuya had a lot of cake to buy.

***

His wallet might have cried in despair, but he was genuinely having fun with his team. They talked about the game but also themselves, their interests and backgrounds. After learning that Liu was good at breakdancing, Tatsuya insisted that he taught him a bit when they had time. Their conversation was animated and good-hearted with Fukui making occasional quips at the expense of his friends, Okamura complaining about having no respect as a captain and Fujishima jokingly threatening to get his starter position back.

The only one who remained quiet was Murasakibara who was staring at his empty plate.

“Tell me about the Generation of Miracles.” Tatsuya grabbed the bull by the horns. Purple eyes looked up in surprise that someone had spoken to him but then his expression settled into a frown.

“Don’t wanna.” The response irked Tatsuya.

“I’ll get you another slice.”

“What do you wanna know?”

“Who was the strongest? It’s hard to imagine anyone being stronger than you?” Murasakibara’s frown deepened at Tatsuya’s words but he still gave a nonchalant reply.

“Akachin.”

“What are they all like?” Liu butted in only to receive a glare from the purple giant. Tatsuya sighed calmly which diverted Murasakibara’s attention back to him.

“Well… Minechin loves basketball more than anything except maybe burgers.” The simple comment filled Tatsuya’s mind with fond memories of Taiga. “He used to always smile. I think Minechin and Sacchin went to the same high school, so that she could keep an eye on that idiot.

“Then there’s Kise-chin… He’s annoying but he could buy us all snacks so he wasn’t that bad. He whined a lot though. Midochin is very strict but hardworking and he means well. He’s weird. Kurochin is Kurochin. His idealistic side is annoying but otherwise he’s nice and thoughtful.”

Murasakibara was clearly done talking and just waited for his promised second piece. But that wasn't all.

“What about your old captain? What was he like?” There was a flicker of uncertainty in Murasakibara’s eyes and he squirmed slightly. The others looked at Tatsuya like he was insane for trying to coax a response out of the first year who was sinking into himself. “Why didn’t you play against him at the Inter High?”

And he stepped on a landmine.

Murasakibara shot up from his chair and grabbed his bag.

“You’re irritating. It’s got nothing to do with you,” he almost growled as he looked down at Tatsuya from towering heights. Tatsuya wasn't as much intimidated as he was regretful. How could he have tried to push the kid to talk about something extremely personal even though they barely knew each other? And just when he'd thought they had been making progress… He had to apologise.

“Look, Murasakibara –”

“Forget the cake.” The boy turned around and marched away from the coffee shop. The others were whispering about how they had never seen Murasakibara refuse any sort of free snack or dessert.

He had royally fucked up.


	4. Murochin

At first Tatsuya didn’t really care that the oversized brat was either completely ignoring his very existence or frowning when their gazes did happen to land on one another. They had known each other for a week and during that time there had been threats of crushing and belittling so this new arrangement should have, by all accounts, been preferable.

But it wasn’t.

By the time weekend rolled by, Tatsuya was losing his sanity. To boost he sported a stinging bruise on his ass from falling over at practice because Murasakibara had once again decided he didn’t exist.

“Oops, didn’t notice anyone was down there.” No apology. Yeah, Tatsuya had been a jerk at the café and asked after something clearly very private that Murasakibara didn’t want to talk about but this was taking retribution to an extreme – a very childish extreme.

He couldn’t even celebrate the fact that he had been made an official starter. His entire body was itching to have a quick smoke but he had sworn to Alex he would quit and he didn’t even have the required connections in Akita to get his hands on a packet. His social circles had really shrunk.

With a groan he stumbled through the dorm halls to his room. Next to his door sat a big box with his contact information written into the delivery address. His eyes were quick to scan everything else written down, and yes, it was from LA. He would have a lot of calls to make back home to all his friends.

He dragged the heavy box inside and carefully opened it to reveal all kinds of gifts. There were cards from his schoolmates wishing him all the best in Japan and asking him to stay in touch. The girls he had gone shopping with had gotten him a nice shirt that he knew would be a perfect fit, meanwhile others had sent him all kinds of American snacks “in case you don’t have these at the other shore”.

Without intending it to happen, Tatsuya broke into tears. Sure, he had made new friends and people wanted to talk to him, but his heart was still in LA.

He had been popular with everyone despite being publically out, and now he was forced into the bizarre conservative Japanese culture with no hope of being himself or people would reject him without hesitation.

At least he had the team, but even practice had turned asphyxiating because of Murasakibara’s temper tantrum.

Tatsuya opened one of the smaller bags and started eating the tiny M&M pebbles one at a time while staring absentmindedly at the wall. He had to find a way to rectify things on Monday. 

His gaze shifted to the contents of the box. He wouldn’t be able to stomach all the sweets.

***

“Hey, I got souvenirs from America so I thought you guys might want to help me out a bit”, Tatsuya said to Okamura, Fukui, Liu and Fujishima as he opened his bag and fished for different kinds of sweets. The guys still changing into their sports gear turned to him with curiosity flickering in their eyes. “It’s a little thank you for being so kind to me. You can pick anything to your liking.”

“Thank you,” Okamura said and patted him roughly on the shoulder before reaching for a bag. “It’s good to have a hard-working player like yourself on the team.”

The others chose their favourites as well before Tatsuya put the bags into his locker. He sensed a certain tall figure twitching next to him but did his best to ignore him. His turn would come after practice when they were alone. Murasakibara was always the last to leave, and Tatsuya would use that moment to give him a late but much needed apology.

Practice felt sluggishly slow, likely because his nerves were on high alert. He was really going with this idiotic plan… Maybe Murasakibara would think that he was just using sweets to bribe him when they were more of a gesture of good will? What if he failed? Attempting to apologise again would be just embarrassing and he didn’t want to spend the next two years licking up to this guy. Should he lock the doors and stop the other from leaving before everything that needed to be said was said? And perhaps get crushed to death.

But on that day he wasn’t just air to Murasakibara who was again staring at him whenever the titan wasn’t doing anything.

_ No backing out now, Tatsuya Himuro! You won’t be intimidated by a 15-year-old. _

***

He showered quickly, dried and combed his hair quickly, and dressed into the tacky school uniform quickly. With all that over and done with, he was ready to flee if necessary.

Just as he was starting to doubt his masterplan again, Murasakibara’s tall frame appeared into his field of view and Tatsuya couldn’t help but stare at him through his lashes. How could someone be so fit after consuming an insane amount of carbs all day? It wasn’t fair. Also, how was he supposed to apologise when he was transfixed by the way Murasakibara’s hip-bones dipped beneath the low-hanging towel and by the dark purple hair trailing from his navel to someplace well out of Tatsuya’s sight? So his hair was natural… 

Was it better to wait for the other to get dressed or get everything over and done with? A chance to escape into the public versus distraction. Tatsuya glanced up at the frowning face partially hidden by a messy bundle of wet hair. Yeah, no way he wouldn’t be able to get rid of his gay thoughts.

“We need to talk.”

No response. Well, it wasn't like the guy was deaf.

“I am truly sorry about what happened at the café last Monday. I shouldn’t have been such a busybody and prodded into something very private.”

Murasakibara just huffed, but Tatsuya took that as a positive sign. At least he wasn’t getting ignored. Time to keep on apologising until he got any kind of discernible word out of the other. He could repeat himself on loop for hours if necessary.

“Look, sorry that my curiosity got the better of me. You’re a pretty interesting person, but asking after something that made you visibly uncomfortable was the wrong move on my part. I admit I messed up. I should have just tried to find out about your other hobbies like any normal person would. You can hate me all you want and we don’t have to be friends or anything but please accept my apology so we can at least enjoy practice as usual.”

The locker room got quiet again, and Tatsuya was already contemplating how to next word his simple thesis, when Murasakibara sighed heavily.

“Fine.”

“Wait, really?” Tatsuya blinked at the taller boy. Had he succeeded?

“Yah,” Murasakibara said and unwrapped one of those snack bars he was always munching on.

“Thank you!” Tatsuya flashed a genuine smile. A slight blush adorned Murasakibara’s cheeks as he averted his gaze.

“You’re embarrassing,” he mumbled, but Tatsuya couldn’t differentiate any ill intent in the words. This childlike side of his underclassman was kind of cute, and he resisted the urge to pinch those puffy rosy cheeks.

They just stood there for a while, until Tatsuya realised that Murasakibara probably wanted to get dressed without being stared at, so he turned to leave. Then he remembered the colourful bags and packets he had brought with him and spun around on his heels.

“What snacks do you prefer?” He unzipped his bag to reveal the gifts. “I still got far too many, so you can pick whichever  _ two _ you want. Just don’t tell the others I’m favouring you like this.”

Murasakibara froze with a dazed look in his eyes. If the guy had been a dog, he would have been drooling – maybe he actually was but tried to hide it. He pillaged Tatsuya’s bag and stared at the options presented before him like his life depended on this choice.

His first pick was snap but he couldn’t quite choose between the chocolate chip cookies and Oreos. His frown deepened as his massive hand ghosted over the two, before eventually grabbing the Oreos.

“I’ve got some more, so if you want them, just find me at lunch and I’ll bring them to practice.”

Murasakibara goggled at him before stuffing his new snacks into his bag.

“Thanks, Murochin,” he mumbled without looking at Tatsuya who couldn’t help the little giggle that escaped him. Somehow things had turned out perfectly and  _ Murochin _ had a nice ring to it.

***

Atsushi plopped face down onto his bed and just lay there for a while. His hair was still wet but he couldn’t be bothered to do anything about it. His insides felt weird and thoughts refused to connect into anything coherent. Maybe he should go running later to clear his head?

He had tried to crush Himuro but failed. He had tried to ignore him but failed. Himuro had been too meddlesome and hurt him, but the guy had apologised genuinely so there was no reason to even hate him.

He reached into his bag and opened the packet of biscuits. They tasted better than he had expected… Very sweet. Yet somehow they didn’t make him feel quite as good as Murochin's smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What's this, 3 chapters in 24 hours even though I abhor editing? I'm on a roll!
> 
> So the focus of the fic is now slightly shifting as promised. Less basketball and more of two basketball-idiots becoming closer a bit by bit. Welcome the fluff and slight angst!


	5. Friends

Tatsuya was enjoying lunch with Wei and a few other guys from class when a shadow cast over him. It wasn’t a group of girls this time. The shadow was too long and the others appeared slightly panicked except for Wei. A soft smile rose to his face before he turned around.

“How can I help you, Murasakibara?” Now that he was sitting, he was once again taken aback by how the younger boy towered over him. However, after seeing the softer side to Murasakibara the previous day, Tatsuya couldn’t be intimidated by their size difference.

“Those chocolate chip cookies… Do you still have them?” the boy muttered while chewing on a pocky stick and kept his eyes solely focused on Tatsuya as if the others weren’t there. He wasn’t particularly surprised by the question. Murasakibara was straightforward and had clearly been interested by the other packet of cookies. Tatsuya just hadn’t expected Murasakibara to come to him this quickly. 

“Of course!” Tatsuya knew he was beaming. “I’ll give them to you at practice, if that’s okay.”

“Yup. See you then, Murochin.” Murasakibara slouched back to his table.

“When did the two of you get so close-aru?”

“Hm?” Tatsuya stopped gazing after the first year. “No, I just told him that he could help me with the souvenirs I got from America.” 

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen him talk to anyone,” Aki laughed, and Tatsuya turned to look at Murasakibara again. He sat alone at the end of a table with a bag of chips next to his lunch. No one was sitting anywhere near him.

“Why not?” All threats of crushing aside, he really wasn’t that bad and actually quite cute in his own bizarre way. Aki sneered at that.

“You were complaining about him just last Friday so why don’t you answer that question yourself? Plus, look at him. How do you approach that thing?”

Tatsuya exchanged looks with Wei before picking up his tray.

***

“Is this seat taken?” 

The soft question got Atsushi to lift his eyes. He didn’t have time to do anything before Himuro placed his lunch tray opposite of him. What was the guy doing?

Atsushi shoved his chopsticks into mouth but whatever he had had in them had fallen somewhere. There was that smile again. Not even Kisechin in his modelling photos managed to look so _ glittery_. Atsushi swiped the rice away from his face.

“No.”

Himuro sat down and started eating his lunch without speaking. He had such long lashes that were dark like his ebony hair carefully combed over his left eye. Atsushi even took note of the thin line of eyeliner that made the single visible eye even more striking. The tiny mole beneath it just perfected Murochin’s enigmatic appearance.

Eventually his staring got too blatant and Himuro glanced up at him.

“Am I bothering you?”

_ Yes. _

“No.”

“Good,” he heard the other mumble mainly to himself.

“Why are you doing this?” Atsushi couldn’t stop the question before it was out, but he also really wanted to know. Himuro had friends who hadn’t tried to crush him or ignored him because of a stupid mistake. Murochin should have been with good and pretty people like himself.

“Who knows…” Himuro hummed and looked into the distance. “I wanted to. As I said before, you seem like an interesting person.”

Atsushi snorted at that. Interesting maybe, but not in a good way. He could be a hard person to deal with and most everyone in Yosen outside the team’s regulars feared him because of his height. Apart from his skills in basketball there wasn’t much anything to like about him.

“People are staring.”

“Do you mind?” Murochin cocked his head.

“I’m used to it,” he said and shrugged his shoulders. After years of getting treated like an alien Atsushi hardly noticed them anymore, but he was worried that Murochin would feel uncomfortable and start to avoid him. Now that he had decided Murochin wasn’t too annoying, he liked having him around. And those American snacks had been really good.

The bell rang all too soon to end the comfortable silence they had fallen into. Atsushi shambled back to class. History was boring but at least he had chocolate chip cookies to look forward to.

***

By some miracle Himuro joined him for lunch on the following day as well. Neither of them spoke much except for basic questions about what classes they were having. People still stared.

On Wednesday Murochin was looking at Atsushi’s plate curiously.

“What?”

“Don’t you ever eat salad?”

“Don’t wanna.” Vegetables were barely edible but salad was even worse; it was yucky and tasteless and had an awful texture.

“Try this.” Murochin nudged his bento towards Atsushi who eyed at like it could have been nuclear waste. After having a taste of Sacchin’s cooking, he was never going to trust anyone’s home-made food. But Murochin was smiling at him so encouragingly…

Atsushi reached for a single leaf of salad that had some sauce on it. His nose wrinkled of its own volition at the horrible sight, but he still put the damn thing in his mouth. It actually wasn’t bad and his eyes must have widened in shock because Murochin did his cute little giggle. Atsushi savoured the mild spicy taste of the salad sauce, but refused to take another piece.

“Do you make your own lunch?”

“Only when I have the energy but more often than not, I just buy something from here. Today I was just inspired,” Murochin chattered. “You can have more if you want.”

“You two are disgusting!” someone in the canteen yelled with pesky snickers following. Fury set aflame inside Atsushi and the chopsticks in his hand snapped.

“Hah?” He turned towards the origin of the commotion. A group of boys from the football team where laughing among themselves. He was going to crush them – every last one of them. It was fine to call him anything they wanted, but Murochin didn’t deserve it when he was just trying to be kind.

“Dude, do you have a deathwish?” one of them asked a tall boy with bleached hair. “That’s Murasakibara – the monster from Teiko.”

“Pay no mind to them,” Himuro said firmly and continued eating his lunch. How did he always do that? First with Number Seven in the practice match and now these guys. Atsushi was still on the brink of getting up and gripped the table with all his strength to stay grounded, when Murochin fixed him with a pungent look. “If we lash out, it will be more trouble than it’s worth. I’ve dealt with guys much worse than them, and solving things with violence usually doesn’t help in the long run.”

The tension in his shoulders relaxed a little and his attention shifted to the nerunerunerune he had kept on his tray, but he was still alert. He hated them all.

Minutes ticked by in silence, and he felt everyone watching them. He couldn’t remember the last time he had been truly uncomfortable, rarely allowing anything get to him, but now he couldn’t breathe.

“I’ve been wondering…” Murochin spoke up with a hint of uncertainty and Atsushi feared what he was trying to say. He settled his face to its usual bored expression before glancing at the other. “Would you mind if I called you Atsushi?”

He couldn’t fake apathy any longer as his jaw dropped slightly. He hadn’t expected that. Misunderstanding his shock Murochin was already mumbling sorry, but Atsushi stopped him before things turned into a repeat of the lengthy locker room apology.

“That’s fine.” His name sounded nice rolling off Murochin’s lips and not harsh like the way Akachin said it. It sounded special, even though he had noticed that Murochin liked to call his friends by their first names. Maybe Murochin considered him a friend. The corners of Atsushi’s mouth were twitching upwards slightly, and when Murochin noticed it, he smiled tenderly.

Not even Kurochin, not even Akachin before _ that_, had ever looked at him in such a gentle way. A heat rose to his cheeks and he looked away before he stared for too long. They had known each other for three weeks and not even talked like normal people, but Atsushi was already addicted to that precious smile.

***

On Friday he dared to ask Murochin to accompany him to a candy store a short distance away by bus. They agreed to go after practice. Like on most occasions, neither of them found the need to talk a lot, but the silence wasn’t heavy. This was also the first time Atsushi saw Murochin in his regular clothing and as he had expected, he dressed well, like Kisechin. Atsushi was well past the point of trying to refrain from staring; Murochin was nice to look at and now they were friends.

Somehow he still felt weird. A tingling tickled his stomach when they stood in the bus and his eyes traveled over Himuro. The skinny jeans hugging his legs and narrow hips accented how slender he was while the white v-neck was teasingly snug but also brought attention to the muscled arms and their porcelain skin.

Atsushi was self-aware of how disgusting he looked next to such a beauty but such insecurities were easy to hide behind a mask of indifference. The lollipop in his mouth also provided a good distraction. The sets of eyes turned their way didn’t escape his notice though. What did the people see? An angel and a demon?

“Oh yeah, Atsushi,” Murochin turned to him casually as if completely oblivious of being the center of everyone’s attention, “I won’t be able to stay too late, because I've already promised the guys from class that we’d go out for karaoke this evening. Some others will also join us.”

“Okay,” Atsushi drawled. He wasn’t too surprised considering how popular his new friend was, so why did he feel annoyed?

“Would you like to join us?”

“Nah, I don’t sing.”

“I bet you would actually sound really good,” Murochin smiled up at him.

“Nah.” Kisechin had once dragged all of them except for Akachin to karaoke and Midochin had actually told him to stop for the sake of his eardrums. Kurochin had told him to ignore the comment and continue, but after that outing he had refused to ever sing when others were around.

“You don’t have to sing,” Murochin tried but Atsushi was dead set on not going. The presence of others made him uncomfortable so he would rather just stay in his room and play an action game on the console. Being alone was better than feeling judged for hours.

“Got homework,” he lied. Fortunately their stop came up soon so the conversation received a natural conclusion before turning bothersome.

***

The bright colours of the candy store left Tatsuya feeling a bit disoriented. He just kept his eyes on the broad back in front of him and followed diligently while Atsushi put stuff into his basket. Tatsuya still wasn't quite certain what had possessed him to agree to this outing or what candy shopping even ensued, but there he nevertheless was. Atsushi hadn’t really even asked him – more like commanded – but he could still have refused to come. That option had not once crossed his mind.

Being around Atsushi was easy. He didn’t appear to give a fuck about social norms, and somehow that was refreshing. And maybe Tatsuya did pity him. Being so different from everyone couldn’t have been easy. Somehow explaining his actions with pity was cheap, but he didn’t really want to think about his real motivations behind spending time together.

Those thoughts usually just lead back to Taiga.

And the truth is, Atsushi and Taiga had nothing in common yet somehow this boy from his basketball team reminded Tatsuya of his stupid little brother.

“Open wide.”

Tatsuya glanced at Atsushi, who was holding a small sweet up to him, and instinctively opened his mouth. No, they were definitely different!

Atsushi fed him the candy, placing it carefully against his bottom lip, and waited for him to take it into his mouth before pulling his hand away. Even after everything Tatsuya had experienced in his past, the innocent action felt uncomfortably sensual with Atsushi’s eyes plastered onto him. Of course he had caught the boy staring before, always with the same bored expression, but now he was unable to ignore the burn of the purple eyes.

“Is it good?” Atsushi asked and tilted his head slightly to move a few strands of hair covering his eye.

_ Why are you asking me? _

Tatsuya chewed slowly and focused on the rich flavour of the doughy treat. His specialty was recognising types of potato chips frighteningly quickly but candies were a world of their own and he really had no idea what he was tasting. It was sweet but not disgustingly so. Very pleasant.

“I liked it,” Tatsuya said after swallowing and a lazy grin spread across Atsushi’s features. “But is it alright for us to taste them before buying?”

“Yup, I’ve got special permission from the shopkeepers,” Atsushi responded without explaining what he meant but Tatsuya could already imagine that the shopkeepers had got tired of him pondering over a single type of candy for hours and just allowed him to have a taste. He was a reliable customer after all.

After many tastings Atsushi was finally ready to walk up to cash register with his basket full of colourful bags and packets.

“Ah Murasakibara, I see you found almost all the new flavours of the month,” the middle-aged man at the register smiled widely. “Didn’t expect any less of you.”

“Almost?” Atsushi frowned. “What did I miss, Toyachin?”

“I’ll show you once I’ve helped the gentleman behind you.”

“It’s okay – Murochin’s with me.” Atsushi turned to Tatsuya. “Wait here, Murochin.” The firm order in its context was so adorable Tatsuya struggled not to giggle. He smiled and promised to watch over everything, after which Atsushi swiftly followed the shopkeeper. His smile somehow refused to fade.

“He’s a lovely young man.” Tatsuya almost jumped out of his skin when the woman spoke. He hadn’t noticed her approach him even though she was _right_ _there_ behind the counter. By some miracle he kept his composure and greeted the lady with a smile. “You’re his friend, I assume.”

“You could say so.” Were they friends? Atsushi had stopped threatening to crush him, they had lunch together, paired up for drills during practice and apparently they now spent time outside of school together. But none of that changed the fact that Tatsuya didn’t know the first thing about Atsushi, and the other probably knew just as much about him. Ergo, they were almost strangers.

“He’s never brought anyone here and I was worried that he was lonely, but it’s good to see that he’s socialising,” the woman spoke mostly to herself. “There is an innocence to him that prevents him from mixing well with kids these days.”

Tatsuya was out of words so he just smiled politely until Atsushi returned with two additions to the pile. Good thing it didn’t take him longer, because Tatsuya had to soon run and he would have hated to just abandon the other. The old couple waved after them as they left.

Before parting ways at the bus station Atsushi gave him a small bag of candy, and Tatsuya could hardly decline such an affectionate gift. It was the same type he had tasted earlier. Atsushi looked at him like he wanted to say something, but ultimately opted to stay silent, simply chewing on a snack bar.

Tatsuya messaged his mates that he was on his way.

***

“Pretty boy, sing me a song,” the blond third year said with a smirk. People around them laughed, but the gleam in Okuno’s eyes made Tatsuya’s skin prickle. He had seen such a look many times before.

“Very well then.” He grabbed the mic and told Wei to put on a pop song with English lyrics.

His voice was strong and perfectly under his control. Later, behind locked doors, it was too loud and Tatsuya had to bite down onto his shirt to keep it in check.


	6. Gay

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things are getting intense...

The girl broke into tears and ran away. Tatsuya had grown far too familiar with the sight, this being the fourth confession he had received that week and it was only Wednesday. He’d been at Yosen for barely over a month, and he was already exhausted with the attention even though his teammates called him lucky.

No, he really wasn’t.

“Dude, she was the cutest second year…” he heard someone murmur around the table behind him.

“Hasn’t he rejected all the pretty ones already. Those are some hellish standards.”

“Well, he is American… You know how they are.”

“What, are you saying he’s a fag? My sister’s gonna be so disappointed.”

“He does kinda look like a cocksucker. Do you think he’s their bitch? The basketball team’s?”

Tatsuya kept on eating his lunch trying his best not to listen to the comments getting worse and worse. What could he do but hold on to his dignity and pride as the people around him sneered?

“Can I crush them?” Atsushi asked with his voice as lazy as ever but there was a real hint of threat to his tone. It was enough to make Tatsuya feel the slightest bit better about himself. He shook his head and hoped his friend would listen to him. During their month-long budding friendship, Tatsuya had come to realise that, more often than not, Atsushi actually obeyed him, and this turned out to be one of those instances.

Tatsuya was off his game during practice. His shots didn’t go in and he even stumbled on his own feet while dribbling. How much longer would it take for the rumours to become widespread? The stares? The discomfort during practice? The isolation?

“You’re hurt by what they said at lunch,” Atsushi said matter-of-factly when they were the only two left in the locker room. “Really Murochin, you should have let me just crush them.”

“But what’s the point? If you did something it, would only indicate that there is _ something _–” Tatsuya gestured between them, “– and implicate you further. I can handle their words.” He really couldn’t though, but he wanted to keep Atsushi out of this mess.

“Implicate me how?” Atsushi was frowning. “Murochin, you aren’t making any sense. They were being rude to you.”

“Do you even understand what they were implying, what being the team’s bitch means?” Tatsuya asked and his voice was strained. _ Stop. Please, stop_. “It means I let you fuck me, Atsushi, use me – you and the whole team. Every word they speak against me is against the team and against you. I'm repulsive in their eyes. So please, don’t defend me from them. You don’t deserve to be treated the same way guys like me do.”

“Guys like you?” Atsushi was looking at him intently, boredom in his features having long ago morphed into something Tatsuya couldn’t recognise. And honestly he didn’t care what it was Atsushi was feeling right then.

“Do I really have to spell it out: I’m gay! That’s why I turn all the girls down. Those guys being _ mean _ to me are correct, so there’s no way I can defend myself against them. I think men are hot and they turn me on.”

“But that’s no reason to be mean.” Atsushi was getting pissed off too, his voice harsher than the usual drawl. “I know a few guys like you, and being gay doesn’t make you repulsive.”

“Oh, but I am! You have no idea.” Tatsuya was surprised by the steadiness of his voice. He wanted to stop. If he couldn’t, he would ruin everything. He appreciated Atsushi’s friendship and wanted things to remain the way they were, but with hot tears welling in his eyes, the words escaped him. “I was the team’s bitch at my old school.”

Atsushi’s eyes went wide and he didn’t say anything despite opening and closing his mouth a few times. The reaction was perfectly reasonable considering how the fact still horrified Tatsuya himself. Sometimes he wished his promiscuous past would just disappear like it never happened, and he wanted nothing to do with the brat that he had used to be.

Tatsuya took Atsushi's silence as his cue to leave with a scoffed ‘see ya’.

When he reached for the handle, a large hand wrapped around his wrist and forcibly spun him around. There was an unfamiliar fire to Atsushi’s purple eyes that petrified Tatsuya. He was unable to look away.

“No matter what, Murochin is Murochin,” Atsushi said with a tone of absolute certainty. Coarse fingertips touched his cheek gingerly. Tatsuya still couldn’t do anything but stare into Atsushi’s eyes, that were drawing closer, their pupils dilating. The fingertips mapped over the contours of Tatsuya’s face, thumb stroking along his bottom lip. He could feel the warmth of Atsushi’s breath on his forehead.

“I like you, Murochin.” The words were barely a murmur, but they resonated through Tatsuya’s body and woke him from his trance.

“I’m sorry, I already have someone,” Tatsuya whispered back with tears still forming in the corners of his eyes. The hand was gone instantly as was the warmth of the body next to him. The door behind him opened and closed. It wasn’t even slammed shut like he had half-expected.

This was beyond bad. There was no way they could just ignore everything that had happened and continue having lunch together like normal friends or go candy shopping every Friday. How many times did he have to fuck up?

He fired several messages to Hiroki; he needed someone to make him forget and thankfully the third year was willing to indulge him.

***

The next day, Tatsuya went to sit with Atsushi at lunch again. The boy told him to go eat with the person he liked, but Tatsuya refused to budge. Lunch was awkward and even more quiet than normally, but the look on Atsushi’s face at least kept everyone else at bay.

On Friday Tatsuya again pushed himself into Atsushi’s space and this time he managed to sport a smile.

“Let’s go to that candy shop after practice.”

Atsushi just moved a salad leaf on his plate around, but Tatsuya took it as a yes. If Atsushi had opposed the idea, he would have been blunt about it.

***

“What the hell is Okuno doing here?” Fukui said to Okamura while scowling at the outsider watching them practice from the stands. Atsushi recognised him as the guy from a few weeks ago who had called Murochin disgusting. The bleached hair was distinct. If he was looking for a fight, Atsushi was more than glad to beat him to a pulp.

Murochin had noticed the guy as well and must have recognised him. He was acting weird in subtle ways no one else seemed to pick up on, but Atsushi had remarked the way he kept twiddling with his hair and throwing glances towards the guy. Atsushi was so caught up in his observations that he failed to notice the Mirage shot that passed him.

“You got lucky…”

Murochin laughed joyously. He clearly tried to pretend as if nothing had happened between them and Atsushi was willing to go along with the act. Their teammates hadn’t noticed anything change, even though Atsushi was more annoyed than ever – all the time. He hadn’t really expected anything, but rejection was still painful, more so than he had imagined.

He had never liked someone the way he liked Murochin. The feeling was completely foreign and bothersome. There had been people he considered attractive so he had started to suspect at some point during middle school that he was interested in men, but only after Himuro Tatsuya from LA had come along had those interests been confirmed.

Of course his first had to be the most beautiful person in Yosen High and maybe all of Japan. Fortune had never favoured him. And now his impulsive behaviour had perhaps ruined a perfectly good friendship even if they did try to pretend everything was fine.

***

When he got out of shower, Atsushi noticed that Murochin was gone. Had he forgotten they were supposed to go to the candy shop? No way Murochin would. Maybe after everything that happened the last time they were alone in the locker room he rather waited outside... Atsushi got ready quickly and just in case checked the empty gym before heading out. Sometimes Murochin went back to throw some baskets but not that time.

Outside it was then… What a bother. There were too many places to check. Why hadn’t he asked for Murochin’s number by then? He’d do that once he found the other.

The sun was shining brightly and cicadas were making a ruckus.

“Murochin?” he called out quietly but received no response. Had Murochin just decided it would be better this way, if they stopped hanging out? Because it really wasn’t. Or had he left because Atsushi never gave him a proper answer at lunch? Yeah, this might have been his own fault this time…

Muffled voices sounded from behind the storage shed near the exit. Atsushi’s ears were so accustomed to it, that he recognised Murochin’s voice immediately. 

If that third year bastard from the football club dared hurt Murochin, he was going to crush him.

When he got closer, his steps got slower. What he was hearing wasn’t a fight but something else. Murochin sounded out of breath, but his moans weren’t out of pain. Atsushi didn’t want to see, but he still rounded the corner with his unbreakable mask on.

Murochin’s back was against the brick wall, his legs wrapped around that blond footballer’s waist and arms holding on to the guy’s shoulders for support. His school uniform shirt was half-way unbuttoned revealing that perfect white skin of his shoulders and chest. The other guy had buried his face into the crook of Murochin’s neck while Murochin was moaning in his ear with his face flush and eyes shut. When Okuno brought a hand between their bodies, Murochin jolted.

“Not here, Hiroki, it’s too open.”

“But you like that, don’t lie. The threat of exposure turns you on, I can feel it.” The blond pulled away a bit. “Don’t worry, I’ll finish you off before your guard dog gets here, _ Murochin_.”

At that Murochin frowned but instead of scolding the other he bit his lower lip and rolled his hips.

“Hurry then.”

“Oh dear, you’re needy,” Okuno smirked. “I like it. Don’t show this side of you to anyone else.” Then the guy returned his attention to Murochin’s neck. The sight was horrible. Atsushi’s insides were itching and he could hear the rush of his bloodflow.

Murochin threw his head to the side and Atsushi wasn’t fast enough to escape. Their eyes locked but neither of them said anything. Murochin’s lips parted around small moans, but his gaze didn’t turn away and Atsushi refused to move. He hoped none of the mess in his head was showing on his face.

Eventually Murochin was the one to break their eye contact when Okuno bit his ear and he grimaced with a hiss. Atsushi was done watching. With a few steps he was standing over both of them. He grabbed the third year by the shoulder and yanked him away from Murochin, who found his footing with all his usual grace.

“What the hell?” Okuno turned around and his eyes went round from shock at first, but after recognising Atsushi, he grinned. “He’s mine, so back off, brat.”

“Whatever.” Atsushi shrugged his shoulders and looked at Murochin who was leaning against the wall, disheveled and out of breath. His belt was unbuckled and shirt crinkled. “Neh, Murochin, you’re a mess. Sort yourself out and let’s go.” Murochin’s fingers were deft on the buttons.

“What’s your problem? Are you so fucking dependant on him that you can’t even go get candy alone?”

“Hah?” For some reason, the statement irked him enough that Atsushi straightened his back. He was 208 cm and 99 kg of almost pure muscle. Okuno was tall, but even he was insignificantly small next to him, and the challenging look in his eyes died out.

Murochin was done arranging his hair and glanced up at Atsushi, asking him to lead the way with his warm smile. Murochin was so unfair…

“Oi, Tatsuya!” Okuno still reached for Murochin and pulled him in for a kiss. Atsushi couldn’t look away and he had to watch how his friend melted into the other guy’s touch. When they parted, they were both smiling. “Once you are done babysitting, message me and let’s go to the karaoke bar again. My treat.”

“Of course.” Murochin planted a small peck to Okuno’s cheek and that tenderness made Atsushi’s blood boil.

“Murochin,” he whined and received the other’s attention. Okuno took that as his cue to make himself scarce. At last. Atsushi had been close to crushing him.

They would still pretend nothing was going on. That was fine. It took less effort than dealing with everything. He could do it. There was no reason to push things and make everything more messed up than it already was. But why him?

“He’s a bully…” Atsushi muttered as they waited for the bus. “He said mean things about you.”

“That doesn’t necessarily make him a bad person. You weren’t the kindest either when we met but now we are friends. Hiroki has his own problems to deal with, but when we are together, he is good to me. We get along surprisingly well, so I think things might work out.”

“He reminds me of Zakichin, so I doubt it.”

“Atsushi… You can’t start doing this,” Murochin said and his smile was pained for the first time. That was all they said on the matter. Atsushi never wanted to see that kind of expression again.

***

He wasn’t bothered to even eat any more. Homework was a drag. He didn’t feel like going running. Games required too much concentration. Atsushi just stared at the plain ceiling of his dorm room and tried to focus on not thinking about anything.

Of course his mind was disobedient, and all he could see was Murochin: his lips slick with saliva slightly parted and long lashes fluttering as he’s being touched. Atsushi thought about his hand around that pale neck while his other hand would roam along Murochin’s muscled chest, abs, his powerful, slender thighs. What would a pretty thing like him taste like? Murochin always used a deodorant that made him smell fresh and sweet, like spring, but his taste would be different: salty sweat after practice and beneath that something Atsushi would never find out.

Before he could stop himself, his hand dipped underneath the waistband of his shorts and he sighed in relief when his fingers wrapped around his half-hard length. He had jerked off before but never to anything so particular – never to anyone in particular.

Now he couldn’t stop the fantasies. Murochin’s moans relentlessly echoed in his head and he thought about what his own name would sound like if Murochin whined it beside his ear. Hot breath burnt his neck. Marble skin shifted underneath his tongue. Hips rolled against his. His breathing was raspy as the lazy strokes of his hand got faster, more desperate, and it wasn’t enough.

Atsushi turned over and started thrusting into his fist. What would Murochin look pinned underneath him? Would he squirm in pleasure with his face flushed red? Would Atsushi allow him to move at all? Would he be in pain? What would he feel like on the inside?

His release was close and keeping up with his imagination was impossible. He could only focus on how Murochin had looked during that short moment he had touched him in the locker room with tears rolling down his cheeks. He had been so beautiful that Atsushi wanted to see him like that again, but then again, he never wanted to make his Murochin cry.

He came into his hand with Murochin’s name on his lips and slumped into the mattress gasping for air.

Once the waves of satisfaction had washed over him, there was nothing but shame left to feel. Is this what it was going to be like? For how long? He didn’t only like Himuro Tatsuya – he desired him more than anything and he was completely at his mercy. It was so frustrating.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry Mukkun!
> 
> But on better news, a certain model is going to make his first appearance in the next chapter.


	7. Home

“Atsu! What a surprise!” his mother pulled him into a tight hug. Atsushi bent down to rest his head against her shoulder. “You should have called to let me know you were coming.”

“I wasn’t planning on it…” he muttered and let go of her. “Mum, you’ve grown shorter.”

She laughed at that and invited him inside. No one else was home because Dad was apparently on a business trip and his siblings were scattered all around Tokyo. Not that he minded. It wasn’t like they didn’t stay in touch.

Mum asked him about how school was going and he gave short half answers. His grades were good. He went to practice. They had won their practice match. There was a new starter. They sold high quality sweets at the candy store that was co-owned by his friend’s aunt.

Atsushi had only got a few hours of sleep the previous night so the questions got tiresome quickly, and he went up to his room to have a nap while Mum would make dinner for them. Even though he had spent almost all the weekends in Akita since school started, his room didn’t feel foreign at all. The bedcovers smelled of home and the plushies looked upon him from the shelves with the warmth of all the years they had seen. He really was exhausted, and a change of environment was all it took to rid his mind of Murochin for long enough to get some rest.

“Atsu!” Mum called to him. “Dinner is ready. Get downstairs before it gets cold.”

“A minute,” he drawled without any will to actually get up within the next hour.

“You won’t get any dessert.”

“I said a minute, Mum!” He stuffed his face into the pillow and tried to gather some power into his lax muscles. No part of him seemed willing to co-operate lately.

“Atsu…” The door creaked open and his mother stared at him from across the room. The look of worry on her face was unsettling. “You’re not getting bullied again, are you?”

He didn’t respond. He couldn’t lie to her. Even if mean words had long ago stopped affecting him it wasn't like people had stopped saying them.

“You should have just stayed in Tokyo. I heard most of your old teammates are still here or at least close by. It’s not too late to change schools.” She was smiling tenderly as she stroked his hair.

“Don’t wanna. There are other tall players in Yosen, so I fit there, and the team is nice. I’ve even gotten used to living in the dorms.”

Mum sighed heavily. Of course she was worried but she didn’t have to be. He wasn’t particularly unhappy. Actually he was feeling a lot better than he had in over a year after starting to hang out with Murochin. Though now even that was painful. Did good things always end up being painful?

“Maybe you should contact one of them and meet up tomorrow. That Kuroko boy was always very sweet, as was young Akashi – such a fine gentleman.” Mum started going on about what she had heard about the others while Atsushi hummed into his pillow.

“Fine, I’ll think about it.” Akachin was out of the question for obvious reasons, as was Kurochin. He probably despised Atsushi, who had been the one to actually score the own basket at the end of the game against his friend. Midochin would just make him feel worse than he already was… Minechin was an idiot. Sacchin would be nice and patient, while Kisechin would be just annoying. But then again Kisechin might be able to understand his predicament considering his unrequited crush on Kurochin… Despite his hopeless situation Kisechin still managed to be cheerful. Maybe he could have something to say that was actually worth listening to.

Also Kisechin was so annoying that maybe he could even distract Atsushi from the emptiness gnawing at his insides.

On his way downstairs he typed a quick message. Hopefully the number was still the same.

_ Meet me at Maji Burger tomorrow when you have time. _

***

“Atsu, what’s gotten into you?” Mum looked at him wide-eyed as he was stuffing food into his mouth. “You’re eating salad?”

“Murochin forced me to,” he mumbled while chewing the salad leaves. It still wasn’t his favourite part of the meal but he didn’t quite hate it either. At that his mother’s mouth pulled into a smile. Oops.

“Who is this Murochin?” Mum cocked her head to the side and looked up at him curiously.

“Our new starter, Himuro Tatsuya from LA California,” he said bluntly.

“LA? That’s in America!”

“Yup. And he’s really good. Passed my blocks a few times just on his own even though I tried to crush him…”

“Atsu! We have spoken about crushing others.” Mum looked stern for a moment until her face softened into a thoughtful expression. “If he passed my boy, he must be very good indeed.”

“Mmm… He is like a graceful dancer on court. You have to see him play when the Winter Cup starts. He too crushes his opponents but he manages to look beautiful while doing it so no one complains.” Before long Atsushi realised he was telling his mother details about the practice match and how they had become friends, about eating lunch together, about going to the candy shop on Fridays, about getting a new name to his short list of contacts just yesterday. He hadn’t wanted to talk about Murochin but at the same time he really had needed to speak about everything. Now he felt lighter.

He even ended up showing Mum the picture of Murochin that the guy had as his profile picture on the chat forum.

“He’s just as handsome as that model on your old team,” she said while examining the small image where Murochin looked straight at the viewer, his head tilted slightly sideways and hair reflecting sunlight. He was smiling – maybe even laughing. On the background appeared to be some beach that had to be in America. If Atsushi had to say, Murochin was much more better-looking than Kisechin and his dumb face, but he just nodded at the comment while staring into that enchanting grey eye on his screen.

“It sounds like you treasure him quite a bit.”

“Yeah…” He paused and looked down at his plate. A drop of water fell onto the food. “Some guy joked he was babysitting me. He isn’t though. He’s always smiling when we’re together.”

“Oh Atsu!” Mum took hold of his hands after seeing his tears. “I’m sure he enjoys your company just as much as you appreciate his. The boy who said that is just a stupid bully and you don’t have to listen to a thing he says.”

“But Murochin likes him better than me and I’m afraid he’ll start to hate me.”

Mum wrapped her arms around him and cooed as he cried against her shoulder. He didn't know why he was crying when he almost never did. Feeling so strongly about something was bothersome, but what he felt towards Murochin was all new and strange. Not knowing how to deal with the ache in his chest or the need to crush everything was unbelievably frustrating.

They sat like that for a long time before the tears stopped running and he was only sniffing. His feelings were obvious and by now she had to understand the complexity of the situation. She was very observant after all.

“He won’t hate you, and if he ever does, he wasn’t worth your affection. If you like him, you can stay beside him and support him. This guy you mentioned doesn’t sound very nice so I have a feeling Himuro is still going to need your friendship when he realises that. Don’t start to pity yourself. And whatever happens, we are here and we love you.”

She pinched his cheeks which made him grimace. He was so grateful to his mother that he felt like crying again but fortunately his eyes were dry by then, so he didn’t do something so embarrassing.

***

“Murasakibaracchi!” Kisechin sang as he walked over to him. He had really underestimated how annoyingly bright the blondie could be.

“Hi, Kisechin,” he greeted the other with a lazy grin while Kise set his tray down and settled into his seat. “Thanks for coming.”

“No problem! I was surprised to get a message from you but pleasantly so, because I was really close to contacting Midorimacchi, and you are just much nicer to hang around with.”

“Huh? Why? Whatever did you want to talk to Midochin about?” That question served as a catalyst to a long monologue about how Kurochin had yet again rejected Kise’s advances and he was getting desperate for help or advice from someone with brain activity.

“Neh, Kisechin, how are you still so happy when Kurochin keeps ignoring you?” He attempted to be very nonchalant about the question.

“I just have a lot of reasons to. Life is fun, basketball is fun – even if my senpai abuses me every day – and I’m popular so I always have stuff to do.”

“Kisechin, if you’re taking the piss at me, I’ll crush you.” He glared at the other.

“So mean! After I took the trouble of coming to see you!” Kise whined and pouted for a while. “But really, I don’t know what else there is to it. Of course I want Kurokocchi to notice me but that isn’t everything there is to life, you know.”

“Well –” he was treading on thin ice in being lowkey, “– how is someone like you so popular?”

“Murasakibaracchi! I’m going to leave if you keep being mean and then you’re going to miss my amazing presence.” 

_ Not really_, Atsushi thought. Although he would. Meeting up with Kisechin was refreshing even if the guy was maybe even dumber than Minechin and getting him to _understand _was a struggle. Even then Kisechin totally ignored his question and went on babbling about some photoshoot. Or maybe he hadn’t considered Atsushi's words a question in the first place and just a jab at his personality. Idiot... Apparently Atsushi couldn’t ask such inconspicuous questions.

“Look there is a reason I asked to meet you here…” he managed to interrupt the other. Kisechin’s eyes brightened up creepily and he was waving his hands in excitement while chanting _ nene_. The guy had way too much energy for his own good. “How can I make myself more likable?”

Kisechin looked stunned as one last _ ne _left his mouth. Why would it be such a shock? Did the others really think there was nothing but snacks going on inside his head? They weren’t too far off the truth, but there was still plenty of space for a lot more and he was a teenage boy just like the rest of them. Whatever, he took his chance and started eating Kisechin’s fries.

Eventually Kise did wake up and hurried to swat Atsushi’s hands away from his food. Then he stared at him for another good half a minute before breaking into a stupid grin.

“Tell me, tell me, who is she?”

“_He _ is a starter on our team,” he said. If he wanted help, he had to be honest or else Kise’s instructions would land him on the moon.

“What?” Kisechin blinked furiously. “Murasakibaracchi, you too?”

“Huh?” He didn’t know what Kisechin was on about, and he didn’t really care. He wanted answers.

“Nothing, nothing! But aren’t you perfectly likable the way you are? You’re a chill person who happens to be a monster at basketball. Should be enough to impress that guy, ne?”

“Not Murochin. You don’t understand – he’s super pretty and _ experienced_, meanwhile I am what I am.”

“Where on earth did you find a guy like that?”

That got him explaining in short sentences. At some point he went to order more stuff. Kisechin was surprisingly patient with him asking occasional questions to get a better picture of the situation. Explaining stuff was frustrating though, because the more Kise digged in, the less answers he had. Murochin was pretty much still Himuro Tatsuya from LA, but why did he feel like so much more? They didn’t know anything about each other, but Atsushi trusted him and he knew Murochin had to reciprocate at least some of that after the things that had been said between them. Or alternatively, Murochin considered him a big, dumb child who was harmless, because he had no one around him.

When he was done talking Kisechin just chuckled awkwardly and it sounded like pity. Yeah… What else was there left for him? They were silent for a while longer as Kise was deep in thought with his two braincells working hard. Atsushi just spun his spoon around in the melted ice cream. Did he really want to know what Kisechin had to say?

“You know, firstly, I’ve never heard you talk that much about anything, not even new maiubou flavours, so you’re in trouble.” Atsushi frowned at the words; he didn’t go through the trouble of explaining to get bullied like this. “But I wouldn’t call your situation too bad. Now you know what you like in a guy, so you can just play the field until you find someone who steals your heart and give his to you in return.”

“Neh? That doesn’t sound helpful at all, Kisechin… I like Murochin so how – – Wait, is that what you’re doing?”

“Yup! I’ve got a real cute girlfriend at the moment. We went to see a movie just yesterday.”

“So why did you cry about Kurochin for fifteen minutes after we met up? I don’t want that.”

“Well sorry, I was trying to be helpful.” Kisechin stuffed the last fries on his tray into his mouth. “But you know, going after taken guys is a bit iffy and this Himuro sounds like a particularly bad case. If he actually is half as good-looking as you describe him to be, he is certainly aware of his market value…”

“Market value?”

“Meaning he can just pick and choose anyone he likes when he has so many people going after him. Just exactly how many others do you think have had a similar conversation to the one we’re having about Himuro?” Kisechin gave him a meaningful look. “If he does break up at some point, there’s no guarantee he would pick you out of the long line of dudes who want him.”

Atsushi was fully aware of that. So far he hadn’t heard a single useful thing come out of Kisechin’s mouth and he almost regretted not asking Sacchin to meet him. Girls were usually better at this stuff anyway. All he really wanted to know was how to be at the front of that line.

“Good thing you aren’t fully hopeless, Murasakibaracchi! Thanks to my help, your sense of style is still passable – at least miles better than Midorimacchi’s. Your hair is atrocious though, so at least comb it more often if nothing else and maybe test different things out. You don’t have to cut it – just buy some hair ties or bandanas. Your face is nice but you always keep it hidden.”

Kisechin went on and on about different tips to look more attractive, and it all sounded bothersome. However, somewhere underneath all the superficiality was a point: how could Murochin like him, if he himself didn’t even try to be presentable or feel confident in his appearance. But attraction couldn’t be as simple as the cologne Kise spoke about for ages? Though Atsushi really liked the way Murochin smelled...

“Murasakibaracchi, are you even listening?” Kisechin asked. Atsushi looked at him and only then registered that his friend had been quiet for a good while and he hadn’t even noticed. “You know what, let’s go shopping!”

Atsushi whined at that. Shopping with Kisechin was beyond annoying because the guy would just drag him into cramped shops with loud music playing constantly on the background. However, he felt like he owed going through the trouble to Kisechin who had listened to him and tried his best at giving advice.

So he suffered as they navigated the streets of Tokyo looking for different stores, where Kisechin tried on thing after thing and occasionally forced even Atsushi into the fitting rooms. Kise was constantly chatting about his new school and also about Kurochin and his new team. Apparently Kurochin had found a new light with whom he had defeated first Kisechin in a practice match and then Midochin at the Inter-High preliminaries. Atsushi didn’t really care. If Minechin had managed to destroy them, this new light couldn’t be worth the effort of crushing.

But what was up with these good players suddenly appearing from America?

When Atsushi got back home he was carrying three bags worth of stuff and he wondered how he was ever going to get all of them back to Akita. At least now he had new clothes and shoes and other things Kisechin had deemed absolutely necessary. It still felt pointless.

***

Tatsuya was furious. He had probably dialled Atsushi for the tenth time that day and he still wasn’t answering his phone. There had been no sign of the other at lunch, he hadn’t been to class according to one of the first years and Tatsuya had even asked around at the dorm, where he'd learned that Atsushi hadn’t been in since leaving on Saturday.

_ Where the hell are you? Practice is starting and Coach is not happy that you’re late again. _

Tatsuya was working on his dribbling when at last a familiar tall figure appeared in the door frame. After making a quick shot he strode over with his hands balled into tight fists.

“What the fuck was the point of exchanging numbers if you aren’t even going to check your missed calls and messages?” He glared up at the other. “Where were you even?”

“Sorry,” Atsushi said without sounding too sincere and smiled his typical lazy smirk. “I went to Tokyo, but Kisechin dragged me around all Sunday so I couldn’t get back until today.”

“You could have at least answered my calls! I looked everywhere for you.”

“I forgot my charger and my phone ran out of battery.” A large hand landed on his head and ruffled his hair. “Sorry, if I worried you, Murochin.” Somehow the gesture was humiliating. He was totally getting shrugged off. Tatsuya swatted the hand away.

“Next time you do something like that, be more careful and actually inform someone of what you’re up to.” Stomping heavily Tatsuya went back to practice and left Atsushi to repent his sins. Hopefully Coach would make him regret his impulsive stunt. Just unbelievable!

At the end of that day’s practice, Araki gathered them all around and broke the news. Yosen had just received an invitation from Kaijo for a practice match on Friday. Kaijo High… Tatsuya had heard of that school before, but couldn’t quite recall where. Had he considered applying there?

“Huh, that’s Kisechin’s school,” Atsushi murmured next to him, and then it hit Tatsuya. Kise Ryota, the small forward of the Generation of Miracles, had enrolled at Kaijo High according to an article on the graduation of the old stars of Teiko Junior High. Rakuzan, Touo, Yosen, Kaijo, Shuutoku… All the schools that had acquired one of the monsters stood at the top of the food chain.

Tatsuya couldn’t wait to see what this Kise was like.

They were given permission papers to fill for the event as well as forms for accommodation. It was then that Atsushi invited him to stay at his parents’ place that was empty now that his siblings were in university. Without hesitation he accepted the offer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The characters are so ooc at this point that I could have given them different names and called this an original work...
> 
> Anyways, if anyone decided to read past the horror that was the previous chapter, I hope you're doing okay!


	8. Miracles

Kise Ryota was just as sparkly as in all of his pictures in the articles. Apparently he had been a model since his middle school days and that didn’t surprise Tatsuya. He was easily one of the best looking men Tatsuya had seen - just completely not his type.

When they were introduced Kise was all friendly and smiling brightly which threw Tatsuya off. Had he gotten so used to the reserved Japanese culture already or were his guards up for some reason? He did feel uneasy and watched, examined even, and he was highly suspicious of the guy. Atsushi was a bit more awkward than usual and avoided eye-contact to the best of his abilities.

Then it suddenly made sense. Last weekend Atsushi had spent time with Kise… Tatsuya sighed. Just what did the blondie know? Whatever it was, Tatsuya would face those matters later. Now he would focus on beating the guy with all his strength.

Tip-off was easily decided in Yosen’s favor and they started their attack with Fukui pointing them to formation. Atsushi stayed beneath the hoop as usual leaving the offence to the rest of the team. 4 to 5 against a nationally high-ranking team was a bit brutal, however, it hardly mattered when Tatsuya knew he could dribble straight to the inside if necessary.

Okamura forced his way to the basket where he captured Fukui's pass and even Kise wasn’t powerful enough to stop him.

“Well done, you big Gorilla!” Fukui cheered for him after the dunk as they jogged back to the other side of the court. Kaijo’s captain was a skilled point guard and had his team ready for offence before they had time to breathe. Kaijo sent their Ace to attack but with weird satisfaction Tatsuya watched him fall into the shadow of their own power house. Atsushi jumped to block Kise and slammed the ball away.

The next attack was Tatsuya’s moment to shine as he faked past his mark to the inside and executed a quick jump shot before Kise had time to get to him.

On defence he finally got to see what Kise could do. He had of course read up on the guy before but witnessing it in person was something else. Kise faked past Liu and switched almost instantly into shooting form. It wasn’t going to work though, because they had someone on the inside far too familiar with each of Tatsuya’s plays.

“Neh, Kisechin, that was so horrible it makes me want to crush you. You looked nowhere near as graceful as Murochin.”

“So mean! I did my best.”

“Well, you were always the worst of us…”

“I’ll show you, meanie idi –” Kise suddenly shrieked, when his captain kicked him. These guys really were a chaotic bunch. “Senpai!”

“Keep your head in the game and get to your position. And remember Coach’s orders. Watch your foot!”

After that the game landed in a status quo of sorts. They still stayed easily ahead of Kaijo, but the other team managed to get a few baskets mostly thanks to their point guard’s quick decision making and Kise’s skill on the inside. Kise wasn't too bad at defending either but with hours of practice against Atsushi’s blocks they could pave their way to the basket often enough to keep the point difference on a steady incline. Tatsuya was careful with his moves though, because Kise copying them was starting to get very annoying.

Come the end of the third quarter, Yosen lead by 47 to 36.

“You haven’t used your Mirage shot yet,” Atsushi said and looked down at Tatsuya.

“Because I don’t want to see him use my best move against me.”

“Neh, but I don’t think Kisechin could copy it if you do it just a few times. It took even me some time before I realised how it works and Kisechin needs to see that before doing it himself. He’s a quick learner, but how can he learn it if he can’t see what you’re doing?”

Atsushi had a point but Tatsuya still wasn’t certain.

“Fine, but you better not let him use it to score a single point against us or I’m going to destroy all the snacks in your locker.” A look of pure horror took over Atsushi’s features and he agreed to the terms.

“Masakochin, do you have a hairband?” Their Coach seemed surprised by the request but gave Atsushi one anyways. Tatsuya stared as Atsushi tied his hair and a flicker of fighting spirit sparkled in the purple eyes looking back at him. He might have to correct his statement to Alex, because now that he at last _ saw _Atsushi with his hair out of his face and battle-ready, the sight was jaw-dropping. Everyone else was insignificant.

“Ne ne, Murasakibaracchi, you’re really going to go at it then?” Kise had walked over without Tatsuya noticing. “What did you say to him to get him so fired up?” Golden eyes focused on Tatsuya, and he couldn’t help the confident smirk he gave to the other. 

“I promised him we would crush you. Come Atsushi.”

“Murochin, you always complain about how I want to crush people… Aren’t you a hypocrite?”

“Huh? I don’t know. I just realised how much fun it can be.”

“You’re evil, Murochin.” Atsushi shivered, and Tatsuya had to chuckle at that. Took him long enough to notice. He wasn’t the soft tender soul everyone mistook him for.

When Yosen made their second attack, Tatsuya decided it was time to take on the Ace of Kaijo. Fukui passed him the ball, and its coarse surface felt like it was made for his touch. He held eye contact for a single beat before glancing right. There was room. So that’s where he faked to. It was the obvious place to go to. He took exactly one step to the left to start going around Kise who was barely held up by the fake. Too bad this would be one too. 

Midway through his drive Tatsuya turned, ducked past Kise around his back and straightened up instantly into jumping motion. Kise was on him, but he had jumped expecting Tatsuya’s usual play. He tossed the first release before capturing the ball again and sending it to the hoop right over Kise’s block.

“All right!” he cheered loudly and got strong claps on the back from his teammates.

“How did you do that?” Kise looked at him with wide eyes. “That went right through my hand.”

“I did warn you that Atsushi and I were going to crush you. Now come at us – I want to see you try to copy that!”

“You really remind me of someone…” Kise said, his face thoughtful while getting ready to sprint towards the other end where Atsushi already awaited, immovable.

Kise managed to pass Liu with the same set of fakes Tatsuya had just used, but just as Atsushi had predicted, he didn’t pull off the Mirage shot. His attempt was effortlessly blocked, but Kasamatsu was quick to snatch the ball before Fukui. Kise moved around Atsushi and it didn’t take Tatsuya long to recognise the set up.

“Alley oop!”

Atsushi pivoted and pushed up to stop Kise for good before he managed to finish the dunk. Tatsuya was frozen in place. The form Kise had used had been all too familiar. Atsushi was calling out to him right above him, worried because he wasn’t responding, but Tatsuya couldn’t bring himself to really care, not with a ghost from his past in front of him.

“Where did you learn that move?” Tatsuya turned to Kise.

“Kagamicchi used it to beat me at our practice match. I can’t wait to play him and Kurokocchi again at the Winter Cup!”

“Taiga…” Tatsuya exhaled. So it really was him. Taiga had also come across these monsters and defeated at least this glittery prince.

“You know him?” Kise’s eyebrows were raised.

“Kagami Taiga, he’s my brother. We played together in LA but he returned to Japan a few months before I got here.”

“I knew you reminded me of someone! You’re nothing alike though, what the hell? You’re all pretty and Kagamicchi is an idiot.”

“So he’s Kurochin’s new light?” Atsushi joined them, but Tatsuya was too out of it to follow the conversation. Taiga was somewhere in a strong enough team to go toe to toe with Kaijo and Kise Ryota. His fingers clasped around the ring hanging from the chain around his neck. Maybe they could have that decisive match at last.

“Murochin, your smile is creepy…”

The comment made him fix his features instantly before Araki could threaten to sub him out. The rest of the match flew by in an instant. He took on Kise a few more times but struggled to get past him without using his Mirage Shot that he saved for the final seconds of the match. No way he was going to let the prodigy have a move that he had worked on for months. He still went all out on the guy. If Taiga had defeated him, Tatsuya couldn’t be beaten either.

The buzzer rang with the scoreboard reading 44 to 59 in Yosen’s favour. Tatsuya was exhausted but pleased. His Mirage shot was still his alone against the copycat of the Generation of Miracles. Right then and there, the team also dubbed him as the second ace of Yosen.

***

Tatsuya licked on the lollipop Atsushi had given him as a congratulatory gift and let his gaze wander the grounds of Kaijo High with sunlight warm on his face. Someone sat next to him, but it wasn’t Atsushi. Maybe they really did spend too much time together, if he was able to be certain of something like that without even looking.

“Himurocchi, that was a good match!” So it was him. Tatsuya offered him a nod and a polite smile. Apparently he had yet another nickname. “Murasakibaracchi said you were a good player but I didn’t think you would be so amazing. And what was up with that shot? I couldn’t copy it.”

“A little magic trick to be used in tough situations.” He paused and really turned to look at the guy. “You aren’t here just to chat about the game, are you? Did Atsushi send you?” Kise looked like a deer caught in the headlights and Tatsuya only sighed heavily. His friendship with Atsushi would slowly collapse if the other kept pulling shit like this.

“We did talk, and I especially asked the Coach for a match against Yosen but not at Murasakibaracchi's insistence. I just really wanted to meet the guy Murasakibaracchi had finally decided to give his heart to, who was apparently super pretty. I was a bit offended, considering he was teammates with me and I’m plenty hot.” Tatsuya really wanted to say that perhaps it had something to do with their personalities, but he was for some reason too embarrassed to speak. He was more than aware of Atsushi’s feelings but hearing them repeated to him by Kise was _ weird _.

“Ah, I’m jealous of you,” Kise whined. “You have everyone tied around your little finger while my Kurokocchi rejects me time and time again.”

Kise slumped against the backrest, and Tatsuya couldn’t tell if the blondie actually had feelings towards this boy he kept talking about. Kurokocchi was the same Kurochin that Atsushi mentioned every now and then, who was apparently Taiga’s teammate. Tatsuya felt curiosity awaken inside him, but left it unsaid. He would draw his own conclusions of the boy when they would meet which couldn’t be so far off in the future.

“My sympathies,” Tatsuya said with a fake smile and got up to leave. “Atsushi must be ready soon, so I should get going.”

“Oh, you aren’t going anywhere!” Kise suddenly shot up. “I’m taking you shopping, Himurocchi!”

“You’re what now?” Tatsuya turned around. “Didn’t you and Atsushi just go shopping last weekend?”

“Yup, but I want to go with you. I can get a massive discount at a few stores because I modelled for them, so I’ll buy you something.”

Tatsuya tried his best to refuse – he really did. First of all, he didn’t really need anything and secondly, he didn’t want to be indebted to a guy who he couldn’t fully trust. There was no telling if Kise was actually an airhead or whether it was all an act. It was somehow nerve-wracking. What did this guy want?

“If you’re worried about Murasakibaracchi, we can let him tag along. He’ll be useful at carrying our bags and he’s an honest judge”, Kise said with a beaming grin.

“Absolutely not.” Tatsuya wasn’t going to put on a fashion show for Atsushi; he couldn’t force the poor boy to look at him and judge what made him look the hottest. “It’d be unfair.”

“Well who better to tell you what looks good on you than Murasakibaracchi? Plus it’s payback from me for crushing me.” Kise was pouting but Tatsuya refused to give any ground to the brat. No was no. Fortunately Kise gave up quickly but on the one condition that Tatsuya would give him dirt on Taiga. What an earth for, Tatsuya couldn’t tell, but by what he had gathered, it had to have something to do with the famed Kurokocchi. He already felt extreme pity towards the stranger for having to deal with a guy like Kise.

However, after a while of going through the malls of Tokyo, Tatsuya found himself oddly charmed by the energetic model who also had his good sides. So much so, that he actually ended up changing plans and staying the night at Ryota’s place just talking about everything: school, their pasts, futures, relationships, basketball. Now he understood why Atsushi had ran to Ryota even after calling him annoying, and that brought a smile to his lips.

“I’m _ really _ curious now that I know you better: what’s your boyfriend like? Of course I’ve heard stuff from Murasakibaracchi, but I think his opinion is slightly subjective.”

“Well, he isn’t my boyfriend yet – we just hang out. Anyways, he’s on the football team, so he’s very athletic and a real fighter.” Tatsuya reminisced on the football match he had gone to watch – Hiroki had been incredible and scored two of the three goals his team made. “He’s trying to keep up appearances in the team so he comes off as a bully, but when we’re alone he’s very considerate and even a bit possessive. And he’s hot.”

Ryota started laughing frivolously after that, which perplexed Tatsuya, but the guy didn't explain himself.

When they eventually went to bed, Tatsuya couldn’t stop replaying the game in his head. Going against Ryota had been thrilling and Atsushi… Atsushi had been magnificent. For the first time he was really happy about living in Japan. He’d have to call Alex again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Clash of Miracles!
> 
> My brother and I spend a worrying amount of time assessing how the miracle teams would play against each other.  
With Kise's perfect copy Kaijo would definitely do better than I gave them credit, but at this point Kise doesn't have it yet and he's not playing all out because of his foot.  
Who knows what would happen in an all out battle with both of the Miracles in the zone...


	9. Brother

“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Tatsuya greeted the tall woman and bowed his head. She gaped at him for a while before finally stepping aside to let him in.

“You’re Atsu’s friend, are you not?”

“Yes, I’m Himuro Tatsuya. Atsushi said I could spend the night here, because we are going sightseeing today. I hope that is fine with you and your family, Mrs. Murasakibara?”

“Of course! You’re more than welcome, and please call me Ayako.” Ayako smiled with a gentle blush. “Atsu! Your friend is here?”

Loud noises echoed from upstairs and soon an all too familiar figure stood at the end of the staircase. In a few leaping strides Atsushi was already right in front of him, looking down with a pleased expression. He was almost energetic.

“Hey, Murochin.”

“Hello, Atsushi.” The air between them was heavy and Tatsuya had trouble breathing. _ Too close_. He could see every detail of Atsushi’s face, the way his eyes squinted only the slightest bit, the shallow furrow that appeared between his brows, and how his cheekbones disappeared into the shadows cast by purple hair. “Wait, your hair?” Tatsuya combed his fingers through the long silky strands “It’s untangled! Who are you and what have you done to my Atsushi?”

“You don’t like it?” The furrow deepened but there was a rosy blush rising to Atsushi’s cheeks.

_ No, you look hot. _

“It’s a good look. Should I get used to it or is it a one time thing?”

“Dunno. Kisechin complained about it, so I decided to try something.”

Tatsuya couldn’t help laughing. It didn’t take a wild imagination to picture Ryota nagging about something like Atsushi’s messy hair. They just stood still and stared at each other for a while longer before Atsushi offered to take his stuff upstairs, so they could leave. Ayako saw them off beaming like the sun on a warm day in LA.

***

“Taiga?” Tatsuya was stunned for a moment. After learning his brother was enjoying the basketball scene in Tokyo he shouldn’t have been surprised to come across him at a streetball tournament, but they hadn’t seen each other in over half a year. Now his little brother was right in front of him surrounded by what was apparently his current team.

“Well well Taiga, what a surprise to find you here,” he managed to eventually say as he walked over.

“You don’t seem surprised at all, keeping the usual poker face,” Taiga responded with tension in his voice. Tatsuya smiled at that – he really didn’t try to keep a poker face most of the time, and even now he could hardly contain himself.

The tall guy next to Taiga tried asking who he was in English and only then he realised he had resorted to his stronger language.

“You could call me his brother.”

Of course that got Taiga’s friends asking questions and Taiga explained but there was a strain to his expressions and tone of voice. Tatsuya added his own comments every now and then, and when the story was finally over, he decided it was as good a time as any: he challenged Taiga to that decisive match where their rings would be on the table.

“Tatsuya!” Taiga shouted his name, but turned his gaze to the ground when Tatsuya looked at him. “I… You…” His thoughts weren’t forming into words which often happened when he let his emotions take over.

A dog punched Taiga. Tatsuya blinked. A small blue-haired boy was holding a fluffy dog up to Taiga’s face, and Taiga yelled in horror. Then said boy lectured his headstrong brother about how no one wanted their opponents to go easy on them at a sport they loved. His voice was level and serious but clearly passionate and the words were spoken out of experience. What an interesting little fellow… Tatsuya liked him already. But where had this guy come from? Had he been standing next to Taiga the entire time?

The boy managed to get through to Taiga’s thick skull though, and Tatsuya was glad to hear his brother declare that he would play as hard as possible without any hesitation. It was all thanks to _ him_.

“By the way, sorry, but who are you?” Tatsuya stared at the boy who looked back at him with large blue eyes full of fighting spirit. Surely this shortie wasn’t –

“I’m Kuroko Tetsuya. Nice to meet you,” the boy responded as monotonically as when he had spoken with Taiga. How could Taiga claim that _ he _ had a poker face when he hung out with this guy? _ Kuroko Tetsuya_.

So this was the Kurokocchi Ryota had went on and on about and the Kurochin even Atsushi had nice things to say about. Interesting. He had learned that Kuroko had played with the Generation of Miracles, but Tatsuya had expected something else than a small boy who seemed to have no presence unless he made himself noticed. However, after seeing just two of the old Teiko players, he could hardly be surprised by anything.

“You have found an interesting partner, Taiga.”

“Hey Tatsuya, you know about Kuroko?” his brother asked in surprise.

“Yeah, a little.” He smiled. After everything he had heard from Ryota, maybe he even knew more than Taiga. “There’s actually an interesting guy on my team, too.” 

Mentioning Atsushi made him wonder, whether the guy had understood to check his phone. He hadn’t heard of him in an hour, but there was no telling with Atsushi – he could still be at the candy store he had decided to go to.

***

_ I’m at the park. _

There was only one park nearby where Murochin could have gone to. With posters about a streetball tournament going on plastered everywhere, Atsushi wasn’t that surprised the other had just abandoned their plans.

Once he eventually found the park after going the wrong way twice, it didn’t take much effort to find Murochin, who stood on a court ready for tip-off. Had he not heard that they weren’t allowed to play in unofficial matches? Masakochin was gonna be mad if she found out, and Atsushi feared the blame would land solely on him. Ahlalalaa, that wouldn’t do.

He pushed his way onto the court past the masses moving aside in front of him. He took an maiubou bar out of his bag and placed it on the ball in mid air. The added mass created a force that made the ball reach its peak just a tad bit sooner and fall right into his hand. Physics was easy.

“Sorry, could you wait a minute?”

Everyone on the court and the people watching stared at him, but it didn’t make him uncomfortable, not with Murochin looking up at him like he was perfectly normal.

“You’re late Atsushi,” he said with a slight frown.

“Sorry, sorry, I got lost.”

“It’s been a while, Murasakibara-kun.” That voice was all too familiar, even though he hadn’t heard it since Kurochin had quit the basketball club. He turned around and there the little guy was, brimming with that annoying serious fervour of his. It made Atsushi want to crush him.

But instead he just ruffled Kurochin’s hair. It was still soft, like cotton candy. Kurochin got pissed and hit his hand away, so he was quick to apologise as usual. There was no point in making Kurochin angry – he would just get more annoying.

Next to Kuroko stood a red-haired player who had to be the guy Murochin and Kisechin talked about: Kagami Taiga, Murochin’s brother. Atsushi already hated his face and he wanted to crush him along with Kurochin.

Murochin was also kind of annoying him. This was supposed to be their day together. Yesterday he had ran off with Kisechin, and of course on that day it was basketball that came in their way. This turn of events was slowly leaving a sour taste in his mouth that even the chips he had started eating couldn’t get rid of.

As if things weren’t bad enough, Kurochin’s team got to asking about Inter-High and Akachin. His good mood would be complete history if they didn’t get away soon.

“Murochin, we can’t play in unofficial matches. That’s why I came here to stop you.”

“I see. That’s a shame.” Murochin was more displeased than he let on but Atsushi still grabbed him by the shoulder and started guiding him away. Only, they didn’t get far before someone grabbed _ him _ by the shoulder with a strong grip.

It was that Kagami who was insane enough to challenge him. So that’s what Kisechin had meant when he had said Murochin reminded him of this guy. But Murochin’s face wasn’t annoying with blazing eyes, a grin of foolish confidence and weird, weird eyebrows.

“What’s going on with your eyebrows? Why are they split in two?” Atsushi plucked a few hairs out of the guys face. Why were they so long? Kagami was yelling next to him and still trying to get him to play but he paid no mind. They weren’t allowed to play and even if they were, it would have been too tiresome and boring. He wouldn’t even have to do anything because Murochin could crush them on his own.

He started pushing Murochin forward again only to be interrupted by Kagami _ again_. This guy was an even bigger idiot than Minechin and Kisechin combined.

“I didn’t think you were such a coward! How lame that you’re running away.”

“Huh?” Atsushi stopped. “I’m not running away.” This guy was seriously way too annoying and he was going to crush him. Masakochin could do whatever she wanted if she found out.

***

That day was officially the worst. The rain had at least cut the game short, but they had gotten so soaked that going sight-seeing had no longer been an option so they had returned home.

At least he didn’t have to play against Kurochin, who was more annoying than ever, going on about loving basketball. Kagami was the absolute worst. To add, Kiyoshi Teppei ‘Iron Heart’ had been on that team as well. Three of the most annoying people on the same team was quite an achievement and if they did go against each other at the Winter Cup, he would crush Seirin like no other team had been crushed before.

“Atsushi, are you alright?” Murochin turned to him at the dinner table. He gave a single huff as a response and continued downing his delicious food, that Murochin had helped his mother cook. His father and siblings were all there as well as the fiancée of his oldest brother. The room was beyond crowded and his entire family was barraging Murochin with questions. His sister was clumsily flirting with him, and even Reiichi-nii was showing a tad bit too much interest.

_ Mine. He’s mine_. He stared at the both of them but he wasn’t the only headstrong individual in the family.

Murochin simply basked in the attention and was all smiles. Mum was completely taken with him and even Dad was willing to join the conversation. Asking Murochin to come to his place had turned out to be a mistake. However, listening to Murochin praise him in front of his family made his heart beat a bit faster.

“Neh, Murochin, I’m not the only one who beat Kisechin. You went up against him on your own and managed to win a few points,” he said before the compliments showering his way became too embarrassing. A very big mistake. Everyone around the table turned to look at him in shock except for Murochin who smiled up at him softly.

“What the hell, Atsu-chan? You never have a good word to say about anyone. Not once have you praised me and I send you money for your snacks,” Natsu-nii complained, and soon all his siblings were on his case. Murochin was giggling next to him and he wanted to disappear. How did Kurochin do it?

After dinner he helped Mum clean the table and An-nee took her chance to accompany Murochin to the living room despite Atsushi’s murderous glares. Although all his good plans for the day had got ruined and his meddlesome family was being irritating, he felt warm. Murochin was more beautiful than ever as he chatted happily and in that household everyone knew that Murochin was his.

“You know,” Mum said when they were completely alone, “that boy is very fond of you, maybe more so than he himself realises.”

That comment made him turn to look through the open door into the living room where Murochin turned his head to look at him. Murochin flashed him the most gorgeous smile, and this time Atsushi couldn’t help smiling back.


	10. Cold

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is only one bed!

“No Atsushi, I am quite fine sleeping on the floor. It’s your house, your room and your bed.”

“My family will skin me, if I make you sleep on the futon. And Murochin, haven’t you been feeling a bit unwell this evening? You should rest well, so just sleep on the bed.”

It was true; Tatsuya had been feeling a bit sick after dinner, but he thought he had hidden it well. Sometimes Atsushi could be scarily observant. 

He really hated himself for giving up so easily and accepting the comfort of the bed, but he was too exhausted to fight with someone he had no chance of winning against. They changed the sheets and he got in.

After listening to Atsushi squirm and turn on the futon for about half an hour, he was ready to argue for a switch with some backbone even though he felt worse than before. Despite his warm pajamas and the covers, he was freezing. Was he really getting a cold? The futon sounded anything but inviting… But he couldn’t be so cruel. He really couldn’t. He shouldn’t.

“Atsushi,” he whispered into the dark room. A large shadow emerged into his view and he lifted the covers slightly. “Get in here.” Atsushi stayed still for a few seconds before lying down on the futon again.

“Don’t joke around, Murochin.”

“I’m not joking. You can’t get any sleep there and I’m cold. Now get in here.” After about half a minute, he heard ruffling from the floor. The mattress shifted when Atsushi climbed into bed and settled as close to the edge as possible with his back turned to Tatsuya.

_ Closer. _ Tatsuya wanted to feel his warmth. He needed it. Without a care for consequences he wiggled closer to Atsushi until he could comfortably drape his arm around the boy’s broad shoulders.

“Neh, Murochin, what do you think you’re doing?” Atsushi’s voice was quiet and low, a tone Tatsuya had heard only once before, in the locker room. He didn’t have an answer. All he wanted was to not be freezing. “Murochin?”

“You’re warm,” he mumbled into Atsushi’s back. “Lend me your heat.” That finally got the other to turn around and even in the dark Tatsuya could see how flushed his face was.

“You’re insufferable, Murochin. I really hate you,” Atsushi whispered but strong arms still pulled Tatsuya against a wide chest in the depths of which a giant heart hammered relentlessly. Tatsuya nuzzled the crook of Atsushi’s neck and settled into the gentle cage warming him up.

***

Atsushi was still pissed off at Murochin. They should have gone to see a doctor before travelling back to Akita, but Murochin had refused to give any ground, saying that he would get better once he got moving. That had been a lie, and his condition had only got worse on the train to the point he struggled to stay on his feet when they got off. 

Luckily Yosen High was a short bus drive away and they managed to get there with Atsushi carrying all the bags and making sure that Murochin didn’t fall by stumbling over his own feet. He was really hopeless, so Atsushi couldn’t just abandon him even if he was bothersome.

When they got to the dorms he just threw their bags to the first person he saw and told him to follow them. Atsushi then picked up Murochin to carry him the rest of the way before he got the chance to get into an accident on the stairs with his deteriorating balance. How had the graceful and powerful shooting guard been reduced to the heavily panting limb thing in his arms?

“Murochin, what’s your room number?”

“316,” Murochin murmured the response. That would be on the third floor. How tiresome. Still he started climbing the stairs. “Atsushi, I’m heavy! I can walk well enough.”

“If something happens and you get hurt, Masakochin will punish me and my family will disown me. And you’re light, so don’t worry.”

“You really are a tender guy.” Murochin chuckled and finally relaxed in his arms. His entire face was covered in sweat but he had complained about being cold so Atsushi had given him his jersey jacket to wear over Murochin’s own one. Maybe it had been too much.

“Keys, Murochin?” Murochin fumbled around for a bit to get his keys from his jeans. Atsushi snatched them from him and passed them to the horrified boy who had carried their bags. “Open it.”

The second the door was ajar Atsushi pushed in and strode over to the bed where he laid Murochin down carefully. His friend might have been light compared to him, but clearly Murochin wasn’t a feather. The boy followed into the room with their bags and stood there awkwardly while Atsushi felt Murochin’s forehead for fever. He was burning up.

“Himuro-senpai, Murasakibara-kun, can I still help you somehow?” the shortie asked.

“No, we have inconveni–”

“Get a thermometer and some water from downstairs,” Atsushi ordered and the boy hurried away on his mission. Then he chided his stubborn friend: “Murochin, when you get sick, rely on others.” Too bad that it was Sunday so the school nurse wasn’t in. Maybe he should ask the dorm supervisor for help in getting Murochin to a hospital, but for some reason his friend opposed seeing a doctor.

“Atsushi…” Murochin opened his eyes. “Stay with me for a while.” 

So needy. How bothersome.

He reached for his snacks and sat beside the small bed listening to Murochin’s heavy breathing.

***

The knock on the door woke Atsushi up and even Murochin stirred. He told the other to stay put and heaved himself up to see who dared bother them. He regretted opening the door instantly.

“Tatsuya,” Okuno pushed right past him. Murochin sat up to greet the guy with a quick kiss. They exchanged a few words as Murochin explained how he had got a cold after getting soaked at a streetball tournament.

“But Atsushi and the Murasakibaras took good care of me so I’m quite alright.” That was a lie. Murochin could hardly stand or even stay awake. The praise still managed to give Atsushi a warm feeling in his chest, but that was soon ruined when Okuno gave him a venomous glare.

“Thanks for taking care of my Tatsuya, but your help is no longer needed.”

Atsushi understood. Before leaving he knelt by the bed and ruffled Murochin’s hair that was damp from all the sweat. It was disgusting but he hardly cared.

“Rest well, Murochin. I’ll come see how you’re doing before curfew."

***

The line beeped. Atsushi had all the boxes of medicine Mum had given him when they had left Tokyo splayed out on the table and he really didn’t know what any of them were for. The clock was past ten and Murochin seemed to be getting worse and worse. Surely there had to be something that could help.

The beeping stopped.

“Takao, I told you not to bother me on –”

“It’s me, Midochin.”

“Murasakibara? What are _ you _calling for on a Sunday night?” Midochin groaned but at least he didn’t hang up yet.

“Do you remember when we were at my place and Kurochin passed out because of his cold and you helped him? What medicine did you give him?”

“What?” Midochin sounded surprised and grumpy at the same time. “It was something to get his fever down. I don’t remember exactly. If you’re sick, get some sleep and go see a doctor tomorrow.”

“It’s not me – it’s Murochin, and he doesn’t want to go to a doctor.”

“Well just drag that person to see one. This hardly concerns me, Murasakibara. I’m going to sleep.”

“Wait, Midochin! Just tell me what kind of medicine can take his fever down. It’s almost 40 degrees.”

Midochin grunted but started to list different names that sounded all very weird. One of them matched a box on the table. The frustration started to slowly fade from Midochin’s voice when they got to talking about the dosage, even though it sometimes took a while for Atsushi to find the correct information on the box.

“This Murochin, how big is he?”

“I don’t know… Shorter than Kisechin and about 70 kilos, I think.”

The other end of the line went quiet for a line, but he could still faintly hear Midochin’s steady breathing. It didn’t take more than half a minute before Midochin spoke again and gave him instructions on how much of the medicine he should give to Murochin, who was balancing on the edge of consciousness.

“Thanks, Midochin.”

“Whatever. Just don’t kill that person and get him to see someone tomorrow if his condition doesn’t improve. And go to sleep yourself – you have school tomorrow.”

With that Midochin hung up. He was always so harsh but he had still helped despite the occasional complaints. 

Atsushi woke up Murochin so he could take his medicine. After he downed the pills he looked up at Atsushi with a hazy gaze. He asked for the time and was horrified to find it was past curfew and he had not only taken up so much of Atsushi’s time but also caused trouble for a stranger. Was this guy never selfish even after Atsushi had told him to rely on the help of others?

“Will you stay with me again?” Murochin asked with a tired, sheepish voice. Atsushi had been mistaken yet again. This guy was definitely selfish and cruel and annoying. Murochin was easily the worst person he had ever met. Hate wasn’t a strong enough word to describe what he felt every time Murochin let him close but not close enough.

As if he had ever had a choice. He got into the small bed and, just like the night before, pulled Murochin tightly against him. Their legs tangled and he buried his face into Murochin’s hair. Even after sweating so much, he smelled good.

***

The brown haired kid he had asked for help the day before stood in front of him with his lunch tray. He really was tiny, maybe even more so than Kurochin.

“Is Himuro-senpai feeling any better?”

“Yuh, a bit,” Atsushi mumbled around the food in his mouth. The kid sighed out in relief and then sat down across from him.

“I was worried all night, so I’m glad… I’m Suzuki Kou, by the way.”

“We’re in the same class, right?” Atsushi asked. Now that he actually paid attention to Suzuki, he did have a familiar face. The little fellow nodded with a smile.

The rest of lunch break went by in silence, but Atsushi still felt _ light._ He never showed it but he liked having people around him when they weren’t being annoying. So far Suzuki was nice. He was clearly cautious of Atsushi but not to the extent many others were.

When they got to class, he asked Suzuki to come to the convenience store with him to get something for Murochin.

“But I thought you had basketball practice?”

“Yup, but Masakochin will forgive me if I skip to help Murochin, so it’s fine.” 

After that sound explanation, Suzuki agreed almost instantly to his suggestion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Worry not! There won't be a love triangle or anything; Suzuki is there just to be a friend for Mukkun.
> 
> And yes, this chapter happened just so that I could have Shin-chan answer the phone on a Sunday night thinking it was Takao (the duo will make an appearance in a few chapters)


	11. Safeword

“Huh? What did you say?” Hiroki stopped moving and stared at him with wide eyes.

_ No_. He hadn’t said it.

“It means nothing, I swear,” Tatsuya said but couldn’t smile to convey innocence or sincerity.

“First you spend a night at his place, then you ask for him upon waking up when you’re sick and now you moan that giant oaf’s name when I’m the one thrusting into you. Are you cheating on me, Tatsuya? With _ him _ of all people?”

“No! There’s nothing going on between us. He has never touched me, not once, not the way I let you touch me.” Tatsuya cupped Hiroki’s face as lovingly as he could. Hiroki didn’t appear convinced, so he started rolling his hips to get the other moving again. There were no explanations he could give that would change what had happened.

His mind had been unclear for a moment and strictly forbidden images had taken over. The hand around his neck had been larger. The body over him had been heavier and warmer. He had seen purple eyes full of love as well as absolute domination.

Had Tatsuya allowed him too close?

***

It had been two weeks since they had returned from Tokyo and everything had gone back to normal once Murochin had got better. However, out of the blue, things changed. They had morning practice and Murochin was for the first time ever late. During the drills he was completely off-beat and flinched at loud sounds. Was he falling sick again?

In the locker room he didn’t instantly dive into the showers to get to class on time but played on his phone until even Atsushi, who was always the last to leave, had gone to shower. When Atsushi got out, a pile of white dashed past him.

After what felt like forever, during which time Atsushi had got ready to leave and finished a bag of chips, Murochin finally creeped out of the showers looking like a human burrito with the way he had wrapped his towel around himself.

“You can go ahead, Atsushi. I’ll see you at lunch.” Murochin’s ever-so-smooth voice was hoarse and he refused to look up.

“Neh, Murochin, you’re acting weird.”

“Am I? Didn’t notice. Now, could you please go. I want to get changed.”

“I’m not going.”

“And I don’t want to be naked in front of you so we have a dilemma,” Murochin said with some bite.

“Oh…” So that was it. Now that he thought about it, he had never seen Murochin fully undressed. Was Murochin that conscious of his feelings? Was he repulsed by them? Then why had he begged him to keep him warm? No, it wasn’t been just Atsushi that the other had been mindful of that day. “Liar. You’re hiding something.”

“Just leave, please.” Murochin finally looked at him firmly in the eyes.

“No.” He could be equally stubborn, if not more so when annoyed. In two steps he was looming over Murochin who stood his ground, but when Atsushi reached out to grab his hand that was clasping the towel, Murochin winced. “Do you fear me?”

Murochin stared up at him for a while before shaking his head slowly. There was a completely new expression on his face that made Atsushi worry.

“Then drop the towel.”

***

Tatsuya had always been powerless against Atsushi since the beginning, but now he finally realised just how weak he was against the other boy. Why hadn’t he just skipped practice and faked feeling ill for a few days? There had never been a way to hide from Atsushi. He let the towel fall from his shoulders and wrapped it around his waist.

Atsushi’s eyes shot wide open.

“Who did this to you?” Fingertips skimmed across his back. “Who, Murochin?”

“I’m breaking up with Hiroki,” Tatsuya said and stared at the row of lockers. “Are you happy now?”

“He hurt you like this?” Atsushi’s tone was filled with unmatched fury. “How dare he….”

“I let him.” Sunlight poured in from the small windows above the lockers and every dust particle could be clearly seen. So dirty. He was so dirty. “I gave him permission to be rough with me, but he refused to respect our safeword.”

“Safeword?” Atsushi repeated. Sometimes Tatsuya forgot who exactly he was talking to.

“It’s a word that should make him stop if I get uncomfortable when he’s fucking me, Atsushi. That’s what it means. He ignored it, so I can’t trust him anymore. That hurts far more than whatever it is he did to my body. That’s a minor inconvenience.” He hadn’t wanted to stop because of the pain but because of the things Hiroki had said while doing what he did – the snide remarks about Atsushi, calling him by the name Atsushi had given him, mocking their bond. There was no way he could tell Atsushi all that.

“I’ll crush him.” Atsushi’s words lacked any emotion, and Tatsuya feared he would really do it. Before the statement had always been uttered out of annoyance but now it was more than a childish threat.

“Don’t. I’ll handle things.” It was a promise he had every intention of following through on.

***

Tatsuya went outside to look for Hiroki during the lunch break, and he eventually found him kicking a ball around with his pals.

“Okuno, your plaything is here,” one of the boys sneered and Hiroki turned around to look at Tatsuya. There was no doubt that Hiroki hadn’t at some point cared about him, but now his gaze was cold.

“We need to talk.”

“Dude, I think your little missy is a bit pissed off. Were you too rough? Is he really as fragile as a girl?”

“Damn, I kinda want to try him out myself.” 

“We have nothing to talk about, Himuro. Now leave. I’ll see you later,” Hiroki said and ignored the way his friends jested around them just like Tatsuya did. Hiroki had always joked about going after Tatsuya, but little did his friends know how much truth there was to his words. 

Hiroki took a few steps forward and whispered so that only they could hear:

“I’m going to fuck you until you remember who you belong to.”

“Don’t even dream of it. We’re over after what you did last night.”

“I hope I’m misunderstanding you here. You can’t possibly be dumping me?” Hiroki hissed.

“Well, I am.” Tatsuya stared at him. Saying the words took a heavy burden of his chest. “You know, I don’t think I ever particularly liked you. You were just convenient and someone like that won’t be allowed to hurt me without repercussions.”

Hiroki’s eyes flared in a way Tatsuya had seen before when he had broken things off with someone. He had cared a bit but as time had gone by, his relationship with Hiroki had become more of a bother than what it was worth. He steadied his footing and kept his senses sharp. Usually that expression was paired with an attempted punch.

This time, one never came. Hiroki turned around and returned to his friends.

“That fag is actually trying to make a move on me. It’s disgusting,” he laughed. It was the way of humiliation then. That wouldn’t do, because it would reflect poorly on the team.

“Don’t flatter yourself. As if I would be into someone like you, a man and not even a remarkably handsome one. I simply wanted to tell you and your gang to stop harassing me, that’s all. If you still have a problem, we can settle this the old-fashioned way..”

“Are _ you _ challenging _ me_?” Hiroki scoffed. “If it’s a fight you want, that can easily be arranged.”

Hiroki started marching towards him, but before he could throw a punch, a massive wall appeared between them. Atsushi… Tatsuya had told him to stay out of things.

“Are you gonna make your rabid dog fight for you, you wimp? You suck his cock for protection?”

Tatsuya liked to think of himself as a patient person. Cool head, hot heart – that’s the principle he had always held onto, but sometimes the fire burned a bit too hot. What Hiroki was doing was an act, but Tatsuya hardly cared as his right hand clenched into a fist and the muscles in his body tensed in preparation.

A hand wrapped around his arm and held on painfully tight until Tatsuya cooled down enough to control himself. It was more trouble than it was worth. That was what he himself preached from extensive experience.

“If you ever hurt Murochin again, I will destroy you,” Atsushi almost growled.

“You’re a big guy but one against all of us is hardly intimidating.”

“I could still crush all of you, but fighting is tiresome and I don’t want to accidentally kill someone, so I would rather just contact Akachin. He knows what to do with scum like you.”

Tatsuya froze. He knew Atsushi was furious, but for him to mention his old captain… He rarely spoke that name, but right then he really was prepared to get help from Akashi.

“Like I care. What could another freak like you even do?”

“Dude, shut up!” one of Hiroki’s friends said. “He’s talking about Akashi Seijuuro, the sole heir of the Akashi family. My cousin goes to the same school as him and he told me that the kid is a complete psycho.”

At that Hiroki’s eyes went wide. Somehow that name inspired fear even outside of basketball. 

Without another word of defiance Hiroki and his friends left. Atsushi stared after them with his usual bored expression as if all of this had been a minor annoyance.

“Let’s skip the rest of the day.”

“Masakochin will kill us.”

“I don’t care. Let’s go candy shopping and then to the arcade.”

“Okay…” A lazy smile appeared onto Atsushi’s face.

They did just that, and ended the day with seeing who gets a higher kill count at a video game in Atsushi’s room. At some point during the evening Tatsuya’s phone beeped and he opened the new message from an unknown number.

_ Tatsuya, I’m so sorry. I don’t know what overcame me, but don’t worry, I won’t bother you again. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this thing happened. I really wanted to have Himuro showcase his fighting abilities but maybe another time...
> 
> Coming up next is the Winter Cup!


	12. The inferno of the inferior

Seirin had got through the Winter Cup preliminaries. His match against Taiga could soon be reality.

With that thought in mind Tatsuya trained every waking moment that didn’t go into studying. He would not lose to his little brother no matter what.

A bit by bit he grew more isolated from his classmates, from his teammates and even from Atsushi, and he couldn’t be bothered to hold on. He left messages unread and declined offers to hang out. He still religiously went to buy snacks with Atsushi every Friday, but other than that his social life was more or less as dead as the mosquito in amber appearing on page 121 of his biology book.

Defeating Taiga was all that mattered.

***

Atsushi panted into the pillow where Murochin’s soft scent lingered after the evening spent together playing video games. How long would it be until another evening like that?

Desperation boiled inside him as he came. He had lost count of the times his nights ended with him covered in sweat longing to touch his best friend.

After Murochin and that third year had broken up over a month ago, he had dared to hope. Instead things had again remained the same with only slight changes. They now spent time in each other’s dorm rooms, but Murochin was more distant than ever. Lunch breaks went by with no more than ten words spoken between them and their banter during practice was almost non-existent.

Exams were over but Murochin was still busy.

It was that ring around his neck, of that Atsushi was certain, and he had not forgotten the redhead who had its twin. Kagami Taiga was to blame. Sometimes he really wanted to hop on a train to Tokyo, find Seirin High and crush Kagami.

The only thing keeping him barely sane was his buddying friendship with Suzuchin, so when Murochin forgot about him, he didn’t have to be alone. Suzuchin was quiet but friendly and positive. He really liked books and they often visited the school library together. The only annoying thing about Suzuchin was how he got all weird every time Atsushi as much as mentioned Murochin, or how he got flustered when they all occasionally had lunch together.

But then again, who was Atsushi to blame the poor boy? In fact, instead of a rivalry, what he shared with Suzuchin was a bizarre comradery. Neither had ever said a word about their feelings, but Atsushi was certain that they were both aware of what the other felt.

He wiped his sticky hand onto a tissue and reached for a bag of candy. The TV was playing some show he didn’t even care for, but there was nothing he wanted to do.

***

_ Good luck at the Winter Cup! I’ll be rooting for you from here_.

_ Also take a look at this hideous cat statue I saw yesterday. It has seen some wild shit. I bet your opponents are going to have the same look when you pierce through their defences. _

Tatsuya opened the picture that had come along with the message and chuckled at the truly pitiful looking ceramic cat, if you could even call it that. His small movement accidentally woke up Atsushi, who had fallen asleep against him on the train.

“Neh, what’s that thing?” Sleepy eyes focused on the cursed object on his phone screen.

“Shuu’s way of wishing me good luck.”

“Who the hell is Shuu?” Atsushi wrinkled his nose slightly. By now, Tatsuya was used to getting this kind of attitude from Atsushi every time he mentioned someone new. Somehow, it was quite endearing.

“You might actually know him. He was apparently the captain of a strong middle school team for a while, so maybe your team played against him. Have you heard of Nijimura Shuuzou?”

“Niji-chin?” Atsushi looked at him. “He was my old captain. Wait, Murochin, how do _ you _know him?”

Tatsuya started laughing loudly. The world could sometimes be such a small place… How had he never considered this possibility? He had somehow always just believed that Akashi Seijuuro had been the only one to captain the Generation of Miracles.

“He’s in LA. We met before I moved here.” Then he opened up his phone’s front camera. “Atsushi, get down from up there.”

“Huh?” Once Atsushi’s head was in frame, he snapped the picture. Tatsuya was smiling brightly at the viewer while Atsushi was looking at him visibly confused and slightly annoyed with chip crumbs on his cheek. They seemed happy.

He sent it to Shuu.

_ With this guy on my team, what could go wrong? _

It didn’t take long for his phone to beep.

_ Murasakibara? HE’S on your team??? _

There really was no controlling his laughter, and Atsushi just scowled at the phone.

“Coach, our Ace Couple is being weird again,” Fukui who sat in the seat behind them complained, but Araki opted to do nothing. From across the aisle Tatsuya could see her press the volume button on her phone and adjust her headphones.

***

Tatsuya was surprised but happy to see Alex at the tournament. He had always tried his best to impress both Alex and Taiga, so knowing that she would see him at his best made him want to fight that much more.

He could handle it when she told him she was teaching Taiga a new trick. It wasn’t as if she favoured Taiga over him. After his little brother had left, she had kept teaching Tatsuya. There was no injustice done.

However, hearing her babble about how excited she was to see her favourite students go up against each other vexed him.

“Win or lose, I’m expecting a great game!” she said with a bright smile, without understanding how much this match meant to Tatsuya. If he lost, he couldn’t call himself Taiga’s brother. He had always been the better of them, a role model for Taiga. What would be left, if that illusion was gone? When Taiga realised that he was stronger? Tatsuya refused to be weaker than his little brother. That was all there was to it, but Alex babied him.

“Alex, could you stop treating me like a kid. I don’t enjoy it. This isn’t some child’s quarrel. Taiga is only my enemy now. You’re not my mother. I’m grateful you taught me to play basketball but I’m stronger than you now.”

With those parting words he went after his team. He knew that Alex thought he was weaker, and tried to make his loss against Taiga easier to stomach, but _he wasn’t weaker_. No one had given more to basketball than him, so he couldn’t lose.

***

Murochin punched him.

His fist landed across Atsushi’s cheek with enough force to leave a bruise. For such a slender guy he sure was strong.

“That’s enough, Atsushi. The game’s not over yet!” Murochin grabbed his shirt and yelled at him. Why did he care so much? It was just basketball. There was nothing fun about it. Others were blessed with strength while others tried their hardest to fight only to ultimately get defeated? He had seen how much Murochin poured into this stupid sport, and he never understood that. Murochin had told him the story of him and Taiga and their promise, but it was still just basketball. 

“Ow, it’s annoying when you get hot-blooded. Besides, you’re even more useless against Kagami than me. Can’t you tell he’s better than you?”

“I know,” Murochin whispered after a while. He was refusing to look at Atsushi. “I know that. I’ve always been jealous of his abilities. But you have what I desperately want and you’re trying to throw the game.” A teardrop landed on his cheek right over the part that still stung from the punch.

Murochin finally opened his tear-filled eyes and smiled that tender smile of his. He was more beautiful than ever before. Ethereal.

“You’re making me crazy with rage,” Murochin said with the softest of voices. How could he? Atsushi had once thought he liked Murochin, he had once thought he hated him, but now, he just wanted him gone. He didn’t even feel like crushing him.

“Get away from me,” he grumped. “That’s so annoying. Anyway, I can’t believe you’re crying. I sort of noticed, but I didn’t know you felt this strongly. Actually, this is the first time I’ve been amazed by how much someone repulses me.” That’s right. Murochin was repulsive in every way, and still Atsushi always pathetically followed him.

“I guess I’ll stay on the court until the end of the game.”

***

It didn’t help. 

In the end, Atsushi gave his everything and none of it mattered. Kurochin, Kagami and Iron Heart still won. He had been unable to crush anyone, and he had been unable to give Murochin the victory he craved above all else.

Hot tears streamed down his cheeks and landed on his clenched fists. He hated basketball. He hated it. Really hated it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've read the infamous short story of Nijimura and Himuro's meeting... and it was gayer than a lot of the stuff I've read on this site. The rainbow captain might get a mention or two later as well - depends on how far I'll take this story.
> 
> Also, thanks for all the kudos!


	13. Bruises

The promise was finally laid to rest. Despite all the emotional turmoil inside him, Tatsuya felt oddly relieved. Now he knew for sure that Taiga was stronger. There was no room for doubts, flickers of hope. Accepting it was hard, but anything else was impossible. He wasn’t done fighting though, but now their fight was at last settled.

However, there was someone even Taiga couldn’t defeat alone. 

Atsushi had been incredible.

Tatsuya regretted punching him and pushing him to the point of his legs giving out, but oh how magnificent he had been in the final minutes of the game.

What Atsushi had said to him during the time out still hurt, but he had been right. There was no point in grieving over it.

He would have to eventually apologise for that punch though, but right then he wasn’t ready to have that conversation and he had a lot more to do. There was someone else he had been unreasonably cruel to, from who he sought absolution.

“Sorry, Alex. I was –”

“Don’t worry about it!” Alex smiled and wind played with her blond locks. “Athletes get worked up before games all the time.” Of course she understood. Tatsuya had been a fool to ever think otherwise and wrong to ever deny that the woman in front of him was anything but his ‘mother’.

“Yo, she’s cute!”

Some guy wearing a team’s jersey jacket walked over to them, and every instinct told Tatsuya that he was bad news. He started hitting on Alex, even though she was clearly against it.

“Stop.” Tatsuya grabbed the guy by his shoulder. This wasn’t the first time he ran into his sort. “I’ll hear what you have to say.”

That made him turn and of course he started to insult Tatsuya in a useless attempt to rile him up. Why couldn’t these wannabe thugs ever have a hint of originality to their actions?

_ Wait! _

He had noticed the change in the guy’s stance just soon enough to dodge the punch. Was this guy serious? Since he was a player, he could be barred from games for this kind of behaviour.

“What’s this? You’re a better fighter than what you look,” the idiot said as he walked over. This time Tatsuya was prepared if he intended to try to throw another punch at him. Instead the guy delivered a roundhouse kick straight into his gut.

He doubled over in pain, but when Alex ran to him, he forced himself back up before that bastard would get his hands on her. This wasn’t the first time he got beat up, but this time he was out of any strength. The game had drained him and the kick to his stomach made it hard to focus. Now he was basically begging to be hit. Over and over again.

When the bastard grabbed Alex by her throat, he was too powerless to do anything.

And then Taiga was there. How? He wasn’t certain. Tatsuya only knew that he had to get up to stop Taiga from doing anything impulsive. He couldn’t be thrown out of the tournament after reaching the semi-finals.

_ Atsushi _. The thug had really said Atsushi’s name. Who was he? Damn, his head hurt.

He couldn’t really tell what was going on, but Alex was finally free and the guy was trying to punch Taiga. Then Kise Ryota of all people was there. Or was he hallucinating? He couldn’t be – the pain was nowhere near that bad, even if he couldn’t stand straight.

“You know this guy?” Taiga asked.

“Well, yes.” Ryota didn’t appear too happy about the acquaintance. “His name is Haizaki Shogo. He was a starter for Teiko until I joined the team and Akashicchi forced him to quit the team."

Tatsuya could hardly be surprised. Teiko housing the most peculiar people and Akashi demonstrating his unrivaled dominance. Really, what was news anymore?

***

He didn’t feel like going to the hotel room he shared with Atsushi just yet, but there was nothing else to do. Alex had insisted that his head was checked for a concussion and dragged him to see a doctor despite Tatsuya’s lame attempt at resistance. For some reason he hated being examined. He always got weird looks that made him uncomfortable. There had been that old geezer who had fawned over him, the nurse who had been outraged by the markings around his hips, and that intern who had actually started touching him up.

This time his hospital experience was good, and there had been absolutely nothing wrong with his head. His face would remain bruised for a while but that could be dealt with the power of make-up that he bought heaps of from a store on his way to the hotel. Nothing serious.

Still he dreaded walking into the room, but he could hardly go anywhere else with people staring at him in horror.

The room was dark, but against the backdrop of city lights shining in through the window he saw a figure crouching on the bed eating chips at a steady pace. There was a dark patch on his left cheek. Tatsuya’s heart ached at the sight. He had to apologise immediately.

“Atsushi, look…” He had a thousand things to say, but in the end he couldn’t say any of them. “I’m so sorry, Atsushi.” His voice broke and tears welled in his eyes. Atsushi finally turned to look at him.

_ No. Don’t. I’m repulsive. _

He was a mess with tears rolling down his cheeks, his face bruised up and clothes dirty after the fight. Even Atsushi was appalled by him judging by the way he was gaping. This had been a bad idea.

“Sorry. I can crash with Wei and Fujishima; I’ll just get my stuff and leave.”

With clumsy movements he grabbed his bag and threw something in there before disappearing into the bathroom to gather his toiletries. The bright light stung his eyes and accented every detail on his face when he caught sight of himself in the mirror.

He sneered at the pitiful swollen face before turning away.

When he opened the door, a large hand reached in to grab him by his hair. Atsushi yanked his face into the light and his eyes were full of killing intent. If Atsushi wanted to crush him, now was as good a time as any. The day was already the worst in Tatsuya’s life, and a few extra bruises could hardly hurt much more.

“Who did this, Murochin?” Atsushi growled. “Who?”

_ Oh. This was much worse. _

“It doesn’t matter. I’m not hurt.” Tatsuya managed to force a smile.

“Who, Murochin?” Atsushi insisted and loomed over him with such intensity that Tatsuya feared his knees would give out.

“Just some guy who’s playing against Ryota now. He’s one of your old team members, Haizaki something. But Atsushi, _ it doesn’t matter _.”

“I’m going to kill him.”

Atsushi let go of his hair and marched out. The door was slammed shut. Not even during the match they had just played had Atsushi been so serious, and Tatsuya knew without a sliver of doubt that Haizaki would die if he didn’t stop Atsushi in time.

***

Atsushi found him fast enough walking out of one of the locker rooms and disappearing into a corridor that lead to a back exit. Good. No one would see what he was about to do to him.

Haizaki must have heard someone following him. He turned around and a cocky grin spread across his face when he recognised Atsushi.

“Well this is a surprise, Atsushi. What on earth are you doing here?”

In a few strides he reached Haizaki and pushed him against the wall with his hand wrapped around his neck. Haizaki was startled and tried to throw a punch at Atsushi, but he couldn’t even reach him.

“You touched something of mine.” He looked down at the other who was completely at his mercy. No matter who he went against, he would overpower them – even Haizaki, who was used to fighting. There was no challenge, but he didn’t really care. All he wanted was for Haizaki to pay for what he had done.

“I swear, I didn’t touch your snacks.” Haizaki threw his hands up in surrender. It only irked Atsushi more, and he squeezed Haizaki’s neck a bit tighter.

“Atsushi!” Murochin yelled from the end of the corridor where he leaned against the wall panting heavily. Had he really ran after him from the hotel with his body all beat up? “You’ll be thrown off the team, so please stop.”

“Oh,” Haizaki said, “I didn’t realise he was your little plaything.”

That did it. His left hand clenched into a fist. He would crush Haizaki’s skull.

“_Atsushi_!” Murochin screamed and ran over to him. Atsushi hesitated long enough for a gentle hand to touch the spot on his face it had hurt earlier that day. “Look at me.”

That voice could order him to walk into a fire and he would probably obey. Even now, when every nerve in his body told him to crush Haizaki, he let go of him and turned to look at Murochin, who was smiling at him while his thumb drew small circles onto Atsushi’s cheek. It was calming. A bit by bit Atsushi’s breathing got steadier and lighter as they stared into each other’s eyes.

“Didn’t think you would like them weak and pretty with cocks between their legs,” Haizaki quipped from the exit door. “With a guy like him, can’t really judge, but honestly, do you think a looker like that could see anything in a monster like you?”

This time Atsushi didn’t even feel like chasing after Haizaki to crush him. He just lingered in the hallway with Murochin standing still beside him. Time ticked by.

In silent agreement they went outside.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next up a lot of apologising, because these two really need to sort out their stuff. I've only written up to chapter 15 so uploads will soon become more scarce. However, I intend to keep this going because I am far too excited about the things I have planned especially for Kuroko's birthday.


	14. Sorry

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If I warn, will I spoil? That is the question...  
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Yeah, so, anyway, nsfw action up ahead.

The coins jangled as they fell into the depths of the vending machine. Tatsuya passed the chocolate bar to Atsushi who sat slumped on a bench they had found outside the arena. They had calmed down a bit but the air between them was still heavy and both of them were quiet. After some consideration Tatsuya sat down at the other end of the bench and opened his can of coke, its familiar fizz calming in the embrace of the unknown.

“I’m sorry.”

The words mumbled around the chocolate bar were barely audible or distinguishable, but Tatsuya was certain he had heard correctly. He turned to face Atsushi, who was peeking at him from the corner of his eye.

“Whatever for? You haven’t done anything wrong.”

“But I didn’t listen to you and nearly crushed Zakichin. I wanted to kill him because of what he did to you, but in my wrath I did not listen to you.” Atsushi chomped the rest of his chocolate bar down and then extended his hand to Tatsuya. He gladly lent him a few coins and watched as he got a new treat. After all the time he had spent with Atsushi he knew the other needed time to say the things that were difficult to him.

Eventually Atsushi sat next to him again.

“For the game… Sorry that I was too weak to give you your victory even after all your effort.”

“No, Atsushi, we lost together. The effort I put in was not futile and I’m proud of how far we got. And Atsushi, you were incredible in the final minutes of the game! I’ve never seen anything so magnificent.”

“Oh…” Atsushi looked as bored as ever as he opened the bag in his hand and started munching on potato chips.

“Actually it should be me apologising for punching you. I was angry but I never ever should have done that to you.” That was yet another rash move he was going to regret for the rest of his life.

“Nah, it’s okay.” Atsushi dragged out the vowels in his usual way. “I deserved it.” He stared ahead into the dark night, his hand having stilled over the bag. It couldn’t be empty already. “I said mean things to you…”

“We were both very emotional then, so I don’t hold it against you,” Tatsuya said with a sheepish smile. The words had stung him, but he too had deserved them. He had been selfish in wanting to use Atsushi to defeat Taiga when his friend clearly struggled with insecurities of his own about losing.

“I don’t think you’re useless…” Atsushi still refused to look at Tatsuya. “When you joined the team I was actually impressed by how good you were and that’s why I tried so hard to crush you. But you were resilient. And patient.”

Atsushi left again to get another chocolate bar. When he got back, he was at last facing Tatsuya but there was such melancholy in his beautiful purple eyes that holding eye contact was painful.

“I don’t think you’re repulsive either. I’ve learned that you’re not perfect, but it doesn’t change the fact that you’re Murochin. But when I’m with you, you’re like a mirror and I see how repulsive I am.”

Pause. There was more to come, so Tatsuya voiced none of the millions of thoughts crossing his mind.

“I entered the Zone because of you.” That confession did take Tatsuya by surprise. Still he said nothing, but he let it show on his face. “I wanted both of us to win. Your fighting spirit and your tears gave me what I was missing inside and allowed me to enter. For the first time I can remember, I gave all I had – and it was for you.” The last words were murmured, but Tatsuya heard them and the torment behind them.

“Atsushi…”

“What Zakichin said was true, and I’m sorry for being repulsive like this.”

A large hand reached to touch Tatsuya’s cheek. There was absolutely nothing repulsive about the gentle way Atsushi moved his hair to the side and let his fingertips skim Tatsuya’s face. _ More_. Tatsuya swallowed his fears. He had put off the inevitable for long enough, at first because he had refused to admit his feelings and then in fear of what might happen to them and the team if he did voice his desires. In that moment all those fears felt foolish.

He curled his fingers around Atsushi’s hand and squeezed lightly.

“You’re the furthest thing from the monster Haizaki claimed you are. To me, you are perfect, in every way imaginable.” He paused to reconsider one more time, but this was how the story had been meant to go since the beginning. Tatsuya had never been as attracted to anyone like he was to Atsushi. What he felt wasn't simply lust and it was more than a basic emotional connection. Every cell in his body was constantly screaming to be closer to him. It was an urge to be completed and protected while submitting all of himself to Atsushi, spoiling him, protecting him. It had been there for a long time, ever since their visit to Tokyo, maybe earlier than that. Who really knew? What mattered was that he was finally brave enough to admit it.

“I like you, Atsushi. I’m sorry it took me this long to realise that.”

“Murochin…” Atsushi sighed his nickname and stared at him without blinking. They were so close and like magnets they kept drawing each other further in.

Soft lips brushed Tatsuya’s cheek right beneath his eye, but when that contact ended, he still felt Atsushi’s breath hot against his skin. How could someone be so cute? Tatsuya couldn’t help giggling. If he could tell the Himuro Tatsuya from a few months ago, when he had seen a purple-haired boy pout over his lost snacks, what he was feeling right then, surely his past self would call him a liar.

“My dear Atsushi,” he stroked Atsushi's cheek and brought a teasing finger to his own lips, “at a moment like this, do it on the lips.”

Atsushi’s face flared red but it didn’t take any coaxing to get him to bend down and kiss Tatsuya for real.

It wasn’t the best kiss he had ever experienced but it definitely was the sweetest and not only because Atsushi tasted like chocolate. A large hand cupped Tatsuya's face and he leaned into that touch with a newfound desperation. Atsushi was being so careful with him, lips moving tentatively and curiously over his, and it couldn’t all be due to inexperience. It was as if he was testing the waters to make sure Tatsuya really wanted this. As if he’d want to back out now.

“Murochin,” Atsushi suddenly pulled away a bit and looked at him sternly, “are you mine now?”

“Yes, Atsushi. I’m yours, so take good care of me.” Tatsuya smiled so widely that it hurt his bruised face. Then he pulled Atsushi down by the lapels of his jersey jacket.

***

_ Mine. _

At last. Atsushi could hardly believe what was happening, and if it was a dream, he wished to never wake up. Murochin’s lips against his were so soft and they tasted of coca cola and honey.

Murochin’s tongue was jabbing his bottom lip and it didn’t take him long to understand to open his mouth to allow the other in. As their tongues slid against each other, slender fingers combed through his hair before starting to pull on it strongly enough to make Atsushi hiss. Murochin was good…

Atsushi grabbed Murochin by his waist and thigh and lifted him onto his lap. Now he wouldn’t have to bend down so much. Murochin hardly noticed anything happen and was now paying attention to his jawbone with one hand still fisting his hair while the other clutched onto his jacket. It wasn’t as though Atsushi wasn’t enjoying the treatment but he was feeling very selfish. He wanted to get everything he could out of this dream.

He pulled Murochin away from him by taking a firm hold of his nape. Murochin panted heavily with his neck entirely exposed. _Ahlalaa_, he was erotic. After enjoying the view he had only imagined a million times, he latched his mouth onto the pearly skin before him. 

“Atsushi,” Murochin whined and started rolling his hips. Atsushi thrust up once which elicited a soft moan out of Murochin. He was distantly aware that they were still sitting on a bench right outside the arena, where a big game had ended barely half an hour earlier, but with Murochin straddling him that hardly mattered. He could hear noises from right around the corner. If anyone got a bit lost they would be instantly discovered. That didn't bother him though. He wanted the entire world to know Murochin was his and his alone.

“We should return to the hotel,” Murochin said and Atsushi just huffed at the mere thought. The hotel was too far. “Atsushi, I’m hard and I want to do it inside our room.”

That caught his attention and he let go of Murochin who was laughing at his reaction, calling him cute. They were never going to make it to the hotel…

***

They got _ a bit _ towards the hotel before Atsushi pulled Tatsuya into some dark alleyway near the empty outside courts. So impatient… But so was Tatsuya who couldn’t stop playing around with Atsushi’s long hair or grinding against Atsushi once he was pushed against a wall. On second thought, he wasn’t entirely certain why getting to the hotel had ever been imperative. All that mattered was the heat enveloping him, the lips and tongue eating him up and the hands exploring his body.

Enough teasing. Tatsuya needed more. He always had in Atsushi’s case.

Tatsuya moved his other hand over Atsushi’s crotch and palmed the tent that had formed there all while looking closely at the ways pleasure showed on Atsushi’s red face. His lips parted around a low groan, his brows were drawn down and his eyes were tightly shut.

“Has anyone ever touched you?” Tatsuya asked even though he could guess the answer. Atsushi shook his head and glanced at him.

“You’re the first person I’ve ever liked… And you’re probably the only person crazy enough to like me. I don’t exactly have that many desirable qualities.”

“You have plenty of those,” Tatsuya said and gave Atsushi’s crotch a squeeze while continuing the massaging movement. “You are simultaneously the most adorable and the hottest guy I’ve ever seen.”

Apparently it was possible for Atsushi to turn even more red in the shadows of his hair. What would he look like if Tatsuya took him into his mouth right there in the open? There was only one way to find out, and Tatsuya got down onto his knees.

“Murochin?” Atsushi looked at him with wide eyes. He must have realised what Tatsuya had on his mind and seemed rather intrigued as his fingers tangled into Tatsuya’s hair to keep his head in place. With swift movements he pulled Atsushi’s trousers and pants down to release the rock hard cock that was _ gigantic _ just like the oversized body it was a part of.

Tatsuya swallowed at the sight. How was he supposed to fit it into his mouth without choking? He had had a lot of cock in his teenage years but now he felt uncertain like a virgin. At least he knew what to do.

He steadied himself by hooking his arm to grab the back of Atsushi’s thigh and took hold of Atsushi’s dick before leaning in to lick along the shaft from base to tip. The way Atsushi’s breath caught in his throat and the muscles underneath Tatsuya’s hand tensed encouraged him to put up a proper show for the other boy: exaggerated movements, moans and fluttering his lashes as he looked up. He ran his tongue along Atsushi’s length a few times before concentrating on licking around the tip, circling it teasingly. Fingertips pressed into his scalp and Atsushi whimpered, desperately trying to keep his voice down.

It was time. Tatsuya was mentally prepared to take on the meal set before him.

A pathetic yelp escaped him when Atsushi all of a sudden bent down to lift him to his feet before pulling his trousers back up. Had he moved too fast? Had Atsushi panicked?

“Are you al –”

A hand pressed against his mouth and realisation hit him.

Footsteps echoed from the end of the street – two sets of them. The idea of getting caught had been arousing but right then Tatsuya was glad that Atsushi was as observant as he was. In the dimness of distant streetlights he saw figures approaching them. One of them was tall and broad-shouldered, nothing compared to Atsushi though. He walked stiffly. The short figure on the other hand was animated in his movements and bounced a basketball around.

Atsushi didn’t move further away from Tatsuya and their bodies were almost touching.

Then the two figures were close enough to be seen properly. The shorter boy had ink-black hair that was pushed back by a band and sharp eyes that darted between them. The other guy had dark green hair that almost reached the eyes staring at them from behind rectangular glasses. Tatsuya recognised him from all the pictures he had seen; he was Midorima Shintarou, the shooting guard of the Generation of Miracles.

“Murasakibara!” Midorima exclaimed.

“Hello, Midochin.”

Then Midorima’s green eyes landed on Tatsuya’s face.

“Back away from that boy, Murasakibara! I don’t know what happened between you, but don’t beat up your own teammates.”

Tatsuya was amused by Midorima’s words while Atsushi just glanced down at him in confusion as if he had actually done something wrong.

“Umm, Shin-chan,” the short boy said, struggling not to laugh. “I think you might misunderstand the situation _ slightly_.” That made Midorima look at them properly and then he mouthed a silent _ oh_, which was enough to make his friend crack up completely.

“Shin-chan, you’re absolutely hilarious!”

“Shut up, Takao!”

Tatsuya was then reminded of the time he had been suffering from his high fever and Atsushi had called for help. It had been Midorima.

“Midorima, I must thank you for your help when I was ill a few months ago. You were patient with Atsushi and your help was very useful. I am very grateful to you,” Tatsuya said and flashed a polite smile. The situation was awkward by nature, so all he could do was pretend everything was normal. He was good at that.

“Oh that time…” Midorima pushed his glasses up his nose bridge. “It was no trouble, and I couldn’t have Murasakibara poison someone.”

“Don’t be so tsundere, Shin-chan. Y’know, he told me the next day how worried he was about this guy his friend might accidentally kill.”

“I did no such thing!” Midorima yelled at his friend who proceeded to ignore him.

“I’m Takao Kazunari, by the way. You must be Murochin, but I’m guessing that’s not your full name,” the short boy spoke with a bright grin that forced Tatsuya to smile as well. This fellow was an odd one but so was Midorima who was still fuming and refusing eye contact with anyone.

“I’m Himuro Tatsuya, and this is Murasakibara Atsushi.”

“S’up!” Takao brought his hand up in greeting, but Atsushi just scowled at him while wrapping an arm around Tatsuya’s waist.

“He’s mine.”

That just made Takao laugh all the harder. Tatsuya knew he should have scolded Atsushi but he really didn’t want to.

“Come, Takao, we came here to practice for tomorrow not chit-chat with others.” Midorima started walking towards the courts but at least graced them with a quick glance and a nod of acknowledgement.

“Yeah, yeah. Sorry pals, gotta run.” Takao ran after his friend and spun the basketball in his hands. It suddenly got very silent except for the steady bouncing of the ball on the court.

“Well, they certainly were _ eccentric_.” The more acquainted Tatsuya got with the Generation of Miracles, the more accurate Atsushi’s descriptions of them turned out to be. He had called Midorima strict but caring and weird. That was certainly the impression Tatsuya had got of the guy based on this one encounter, but his friend had been nothing short of a character himself.

Atsushi hummed beside him and looked at the court where the pair were practicing their plays. Takao made some impressive passes and Midorima’s shots were a sight to behold, far better than anything Tatsuya could ever dream of doing himself. A flimsy spark of jealousy flickered inside him but before it could burst into a flame, Atsushi bent over him from behind to kiss his cheek.

“You’re thinking about useless stuff again, Murochin.”

“Sorry, sorry.” He leaned back against the warm chest, naturally as if he had always done so. Why had he fought against this as well? “Atsushi, I think we should go to the hotel right now.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well that escalated quickly! But they're horny teenage boys so nothing that far-fetched.
> 
> Now a proper warning for the next chapter: I will be giving my best attempt at smut and I am already scared, so if you dislike smut and/or horribly written smut, be prepared.
> 
> Also also, I love Takao. Alongside MuraHimu, MidoTaka is my other KnB otp and if I'm ever bothered I might give them their own fic that is a spinoff for this fic's canon or something.


	15. Hotel

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry, my family, my friends, everyone... Forgive me for I have sinned!  
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BIG WARNING: this chapter is just smut. 3k words of smut. Not even well written smut.
> 
> Also a heads up! This scene might feel kinda awkward (for more reasons than terrible prose) and that is intentional!
> 
> But as promised in the tags, the smut is here!

The second the door was shut Atsushi pushed Murochin against it. His lips found their way to Murochin’s neck while his hands worked to get rid of their jersey jackets.

“I think you might enjoy having me backed against a wall,” Murochin chuckled while twirling Atsushi’s hair. He had never considered it in all his fantasies but he rather liked the way Murochin played with his hair. Maybe he should grow it out more…

“And I think you enjoy my hair,” he mumbled against Murochin’s skin. He really did like their position. Cornering Murochin excited him. Was it wrong? Did it make Murochin feel uncomfortable? Trapped? He was so unprepared for this!

“Atsushi, are you alright?” Murochin cupped his face when he had pulled away a bit. “Do you want to stop?” He shook his head. There was no way he wanted to stop! He had longed for this moment for far too long to back out now.

“I’m worried I’ll hurt you or make you feel bad. I don’t even know what you like.”

“I see. Well, inexperience isn’t a bad thing at all so don’t fret over that. Everyone has a first time and I’m glad to be yours, and if you worry about hurting me… Do you have enough self control to stop if I tell you to stop?”

Atsushi nodded frantically, recalling the conversation they had had in the locker room before Murochin had broken things off with that third year. He wouldn't let the same thing to happen to them. Murochin’s word was the law.

“Now as for what I like… That depends on my mood, but mostly I’ll accept whatever you give me. And with experience you will learn what makes me feel the best, although you are so observant I don’t think learning will take you long. In short, Atsushi, just take me. Have me in anyway you want.”

_ Wow_. His Murochin was incredible.

Atsushi kicked his shoes off and got down to help Murochin with his. When he started getting up, he ran his hands along Murochin’s strong legs. The muscles felt defined even through the fabric of the trousers. Once he reached the waistband, Murochin’s fingers helped do quick work of the knot, and he pulled the trousers down.

Something overtook him and before Atsushi realised what was going on he was biting into Murochin’s inner thigh. He had just looked so edible. A loud wail sounded from above him and fingers tangled into his hair, pulling harshly. That Murochin had clearly liked… He licked the bitemark a few times before getting onto his feet and scooping Murochin into his arms. There were many things he wanted to try but first, _ the bed_.

He threw Murochin onto the mattress that he sank into. White sheets embraced his elegant body and now that he was only wearing a t-shirt and tight underpants he looked scandalous.

In one fluid motion he discarded his own shirt that had started to strangle him. Murochin got up to run his hands over Atsushi’s abs and chest but Atsushi just pushed him back down into the sheets. He had other plans - such as palming the bulge between Murochin’s legs in the same way Murochin had done to him outside. The whimpering sounds hopefully meant that he was doing at least something right.

He hooked his index finger underneath Murochin’s pants to pull them down and Murochin wiggled in an effort to help. Once they were off he tossed them somewhere far away and took another good look at the upperclassman who was now his. He was illegally beautiful now that he was blushing from arousal and his black hair had shifted to reveal another glistening eye full of life. The bite mark in the pale skin of his inner thigh looked really good. Atsushi ran a finger along Murochin’s hard length, and the whimper Murochin let out as he squirmed made his own cock throb.

Murochin started to touch himself, and even though Atsushi enjoyed the sight, he wanted to be the one to bring Murochin pleasure.

“Stop.” Murochin’s movements stalled instantly, but Atsushi wasn’t satisfied yet. He grabbed Murochin’s hands and pinned them above his head. _ Better_. Murochin struggled against the force so he eased his grip a bit but didn’t entertain the idea of letting go. Their position had him leaning over Murochin so that their bodies were almost touching and he dipped his head to connect their lips. Kissing Murochin and feeling his soft tongue gave him a rush of euphoria no snack could fully equal. He might have gained an addiction.

Atsushi moved his other hand between their bodies and let it slide beneath Murochin’s shirt that he pushed up a bit by bit. Murochin was so slim that Atsushi’s hand almost spread across his entire chest which made him suddenly aware of their size difference in a new way. He would have to be very careful.

Once Murochin’s shirt was pushed all the way up, Atsushi broke their kiss to gaze at Murochin’s muscled abdomen and chest. He had seen him shirtless before but now he had permission to ogle at him and to touch. For some reason he was particularly fascinated by Murochin’s jutting pink nipples. He pressed one of them and Murochin writhed beneath him. He was sensitive. Atsushi started licking around the other nipple while squeezing and playing with the other. He didn’t know what it felt like, but Murochin seemed to enjoy it. He whined steadily, but when Atsushi bit him, he let out a yelp.

“Should I not have done that?” Atsushi looked up at Murochin’s flushed face.

“No, I liked that very much. You’re really good, but please hurry. I want you inside before the night's over."

Atsushi swallowed. Inside… That meant… His hand travelled down past Murochin’s cock and between his buttocks. When he found the hole, he applied some pressure against it which made Murochin jolt.

“Wait, Atsushi!” he gasped. “Not like that.”

“Oh, sorry…” Atsushi let go of Murochin and gave him space to get up. Had he ruined everything now?

“Don’t worry about it. Just… Do you know anything about sex between two men? Have you ever watched porn?” 

He had tried watching but he had never understood the appeal. He had found one gay adult video that he had enjoyed just because the other actor had looked like Murochin, but there was no way he would ever confess to something so embarrasing. Without saying anything he nodded.

“Then surely you know that you can’t just enter me dry?” Murochin said, voice calm as ever. Of course he had noticed the use of lube in the videos but he had just forgotten about it in his excitement. He let his gaze drop down to the sheets. Sex was turning out to be bothersome.

“Don't worry, it's my fault. I should have been more clear with my instructions or done things in a more fitting order… I’ll come back soon.” Murochin gave him a quick kiss on the forehead before disappearing into the bathroom, shirt discarded onto the floor.

***

A part of Tatsuya wanted to cry and another laugh – both out of unadulterated bliss. Atsushi was wonderful! Every curious touch still burned his skin as he smiled to himself in the mirror. His skin was gleaming everywhere Atsushi had licked him, hair disheveled, lips swollen from kissing, and the brand new red mark on his left thigh belonged there. He hardly noticed the bruises that had received a bit of colour to them.

He anticipated but also dreaded the next step. It was blatantly obvious that Atsushi had no idea what he was doing, and Tatsuya didn’t know how to take someone so massive in without getting torn apart. It was going to be a journey of discovery for both of them.

He grabbed his hand lotion that doubled as lube and stepped into the shower. With desperate efficiency he screwed the showerhead off – preparations were necessary but he just wanted to be back underneath Atsushi’s warm bulk. He waited for the water to warm before aiming the hose for the water to bubble into him. After a short while he let it out and stuck a finger slick with lotion in to clean himself. It was kind of useless, because Atsushi would reach far, far deeper, but he did what he could and washed his insides again.

Maybe it would be best if he just worked himself open. Atsushi seemed to be on the brink of losing his patience, so he couldn’t really trust something so important to someone like him. This time he fitted two fingers inside.

“Neh, Murochin…” Tatsuya turned around, startled, to see Atsushi, who was fully unclothed, watching him. They were kind of in the middle of having sex but being seen like that was still embarrassing. Atsushi seemed thoughtful. He snatched the hand lotion from the edge of the tub and fitted himself behind Tatsuya. “So this is what you were doing.”

An arm wrapped around his waist just before a slicked up thick finger slithered into him beside the two of his own. The stretch was too much too soon, but it also felt so good. Tatsuya whimpered as Atsushi teased him in such depths he couldn’t even dream of reaching on his own. He pulled his own hand away and told Atsushi to give him another finger. It didn’t take long for Atsushi to obey him, and he had to focus on keeping his voice down. They were at a hotel, but all the rooms around them were occupied by their teammates or people who probably knew exactly who they were.

Teeth sank into his shoulder as Atsushi was cleaning him. The mixture of pain and pleasure was intense, and he clutched onto the tub for support. Atsushi licked the wound before pulling his fingers out of him and washing his insides again.

“This play makes me want to hurry,” Atsushi murmured behind him, and Tatsuya could only nod in agreement. He turned off the water and shifted to look Atsushi in the eye.

“Carry me back to bed and take me. I want to feel you even deeper than what your fingers can reach.”

Atsushi stared at him wide eyed for a moment before scrambling up so fast he nearly fell over. Tatsuya couldn’t help giggling. This adorable, innocent side of Atsushi made his attraction so obvious that Tatsuya felt like he was truly desired, body and soul. Sex had always been about satisfaction, but between them it was so much more – it was communication.

After drying them both up, Atsushi once again picked him into his arms. Tatsuya had really grown fond of being carried bridal style and he kept swinging his legs, amused by how serious and determined Atsushi was.

“Don’t run off again. It’s tiring to keep up.”

“Roger that,” Tatsuya chuckled in English.

“Wait, Murochin,” Atsushi stopped in his tracks, “won’t we need protection?” The question brought a smile to his face. He was in good hands.

“It’s fine. I know I’m clean and you’re a virgin, so there’s no need. Besides, I don’t want there to be anything between us when you’re inside me.”

Atsushi turned an intense shade of red but he started moving again. He pushed Tatsuya down onto the bed and climbed over him. The cork of the tube popped and Atsushi squirted plenty of lotion over his fingers before pushing two inside Tatsuya who had spread his legs wide open to accommodate Atsushi between them. He bit into the pillow to avoid moaning, because he was far too giddy to actually care about how loud he was being. With his brows drawn down Atsushi concentrated on working him open by scissoring and thrusting his fingers. Tatsuya’s cock ached as it bobbed against his abdomen and instinctively his fingers wrapped around himself.

“No, Murochin, didn’t I tell you not to do that?” Atsushi pulled his hand away forcefully.

“But I need it,” Tatsuya whined and wiggled his hips. “At least give me another finger already.” Atsushi indulged him immediately, and he was stretched pleasurably wide.

“How long do I have to keep doing this?” Atsushi asked as he moved his fingers around. It felt so good that Tatsuya feared he was going to come from just getting fingered.

“A little more." The fear of getting injured still barely outweighed his need to hurry. That all changed when Atsushi found his sweet spot and everything inside him coiled. “Again!” he almost screamed, and Atsushi started to thrust his fingers rhythmically over his sweet spot while Tatsuya melted into a moaning mess. “Inside, Atsushi. I need you inside!”

***

Reason escaped him. Atsushi turned Murochin around and reached for the lotion, quickly slicking himself up. It was important, because he didn’t want to hurt Murochin who was so tight that Atsushi wasn’t even certain how they were supposed to make this work. But if Murochin said it was alright to enter, then that had to be true.

He grabbed Murochin by his waist and lifted his butt so he could line them up. That too was hard with their size difference. Eventually he managed to position them so that Murochin could properly support himself.

“Neh, Murochin, can I enter?” he mumbled into Murochin’s ear and gave a peck on his cheek. Murochin nodded and turned around to lock their mouths together. Atsushi liked being able to still kiss in that position. Maybe being a giant wasn’t all bad outside of basketball after all…

He had to break the kiss when he started to enter Murochin, who whined loudly before biting into the pillow again. Atsushi took a firm hold of Murochin’s hips to keep him in place as he pushed further in. The smooth white back beneath him arched beautifully and Atsushi leaned in to suck at the nape of Murochin’s neck. The muffled moans were the sweetest song he had ever heard. To their tune he pushed all the way in. It was so hot and tight, much better than he had ever imagined.

Slowly he pulled out a bit before thrusting back in. Murochin’s head snapped up with the pillow still between his teeth. Did it feel good? He repeated the movement over and over until he reached a steady rhythm. Murochin was trembling and the vibration travelled through to Atsushi, whose heavy pants turned into groans that he couldn’t silence.

_ Too good! Murochin was too good! _

Atsushi lost control of himself. He pinned Murochin to the bed by his wrists and leaned into him with his entire bulk. His thrusts got rougher as pleasure built up and the hold he had of Murochin’s hips grew more aggressive, fingertips digging into soft muscle. All his frustration from pining, jealousy and the lost game flooded his mind. He wanted Murochin to know what he felt – for him to understand.

“Atsushi,” Murochin whimpered and turned his head to the side. His eyes were wet.

_ Please don’t cry. _Murochin was angelic when he cried, but that meant he was hurting and Atsushi never wanted to hurt him. He wanted his Murochin to only know of beautiful things, sweet tastes and gentle touches, but now he was being so rough.

“I’m sorry.” Tears welled up in his eyes and he hid his face into Murochin’s soft hair that smelled fruity.

“It’s okay, Atsushi. Let me take it all from you.”

His pounding got faster and he finally let go of Murochin’s wrists to allow him to touch himself. It didn’t take long for Murochin to reach his climax with a moan even the pillow couldn’t silence. His insides squeezed around Atsushi a few times and the strength in his muscles vanished. Atsushi propped him up to keep on thrusting into him. The sound of skin slapping against skin was all he could hear and his sight got blurry. It was impossible to focus.

“Murochin, I…” He wasn’t sure what he had even wanted to say and just ended up repeating Murochin’s name as he came inside him. He kept thrusting lazily throughout his release until the waves of satisfaction wiped everything in his head white.

Without pulling out he collapsed sideways onto the bed and held Murochin to his chest. Murochin was his and he was never going to let go of him. They would stay connected and tangled on that bed until the end of time. Somehow he wasn’t bothered by not having any snacks left.

***

Atsushi fell asleep immediately. It had been a long and emotional day, so he must have been extremely exhausted. Carefully as not to stir him Tatsuya slid off him and tiptoed into the bathroom to clean himself quickly. In the morning he could shower properly.

Doing it with Atsushi had hurt – a lot – but he had never expected anything else. Beneath the apathetic facade was a sea of turmoil and a soft soul that had suffered bitter defeat that day. It had been only natural for Atsushi to lose control of himself. However, in spite of the pain, Tatsuya felt alive. They had lost, he couldn’t call Taiga his brother anymore, his face was purple and slightly swollen, and his ass stung like hell, but the warmth in his chest made it all worth it.

He admired the boy curled up on his bed. Atsushi’s hair was splayed over the pillow and his face was twitching as he snored quietly. Tatsuya could somehow understand why so many saw him as a monster – he too had in the beginning – but now that he really looked at Atsushi, he only saw a cute miracle.

_ His miracle_.

His heart was filled with such fondness, that he couldn’t fathom how he had been able to deny it for so long.

“I like you a lot,” he whispered as he settled next to Atsushi and took him into his arms. With his other hand stroking Atsushi’s long silky hair, he drifted off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Was that fluff at the very end? 0.0
> 
> So! This scene was never meant to be mega steamy. It was more about the two learning about each other as well as themselves. I allowed them to make blunders but made sure that they were always considerate of the other.
> 
> With time they will get better and who knows, I might write more smut and at least try to make it actually hot. Should I? Or should I just stick to fluff?
> 
> Next chapter is a return to form with lots of fluff to cleanse all our souls!<3


	16. The Guilt of a Killer

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all the support everyone has shown for this fic so far! <3

They sat next to each other at breakfast so that their thighs touched under the table. At one point Murochin kicked Atsushi lightly which somehow escalated into an all out brawl where they tried to find each other’s feet and step on them. Murochin managed to be sneaky in their little game while showing none of what was going on under the table on his face. He only kept smiling so brightly Atsushi feared he might go blind. It was distracting.

Their battle calmed down for a moment, but to Atsushi it was only a cease-fire. He would catch Murochin when his guard was down. He kept moving his foot around until it bumped against something and then, while looking at Murochin to witness his surprise, he stamped down.

“What the actual fuck?” Fukui slammed the table. Oopsies.

“I thought it was Murochin…”

“Coach, Murasakibara is acting up again.”

“Ugh, can’t you boys ever be quiet,” Masakochin muttered and continued eating as if nothing was wrong. That did little to calm Fukui.

“For real, what is wrong with you? Are you still mad about yesterday and taking it out on Himuro? Because you full-on deserved that right hook of his.”

Murochin made a weird sound next to him but covered it up by coughing. How did he always avoid getting in trouble? It was unfair.

“I’m not mad at Murochin… And he started it by kicking me.”

“Mind explaining, Himuro?” Fukui cocked an eyebrow. He was in an annoying mood. Okamura seemed equally confused as Atsushi about everything while Liu chose to concentrate on his tea.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Murochin said with a coy smile before resuming his breakfast and poking Atsushi’s calf.

“He’s doing it again.” Atsushi pouted. Murochin was the absolute worst.

“That’s it; make some space between you,” Fukui said as he got to his feet and picked up his tray. “I can’t believe I have to babysit you two.”

“No.” Atsushi hung his arms around Murochin who dropped his fork. “You won’t keep me away from my Murochin.”

“Hah? Wait…" Fukui glanced between the two of them. "Don’t tell me you two…"

“I’ll crush you if you try any funny stuff with Murochin,” Atsushi threatened.

“So you are actually together?” Fukui said in disbelief.

“Oh please, don’t act so surprised,” Liu said and took another sip of his tea. “Besides, your bed wasn’t next to the wall behind which their room was, so you should have no reason to complain.” The deadpan delivery did nothing to lessen the weight of the implication, and a heat rose to his cheeks. Had they been that loud? Murochin tensed a bit in his arms and issued a whispered apology to Liu.

“This is so unfair! All the girls at school are in love with you and you never even had eyes for them!” Okamura cried to Murochin.

“Think positively, good Captain: Murasakibara won’t be able to keep their relationship a secret for longer than five seconds. All those girls will get their hearts broken and your chances of getting a girlfriend will improve.”

“Really?” Okamura’s eyes lit up as he turned to look at Fukui.

“Of course not, you dumb Gorilla!” Fukui said with an evil smirk and Okamura started weeping.

“All of you, be quiet already!” Masakochin eventually spoke up. “Look, I don’t really care what you boys are up to, but Murasakibara, if our other Ace is unable to come to practice because of you, I’m revoking your snack privilege.”

Practice without snacks didn’t sound nice.

“Okay…” he said but refused to let go of Murochin. He kept a close eye on the other starters across from him, especially Liu who was having a little conversation with his Murochin. What made him happy though was the fact that Murochin hadn’t pushed him away but rather leaned into his bear-hug.

***

The first semi-final match was brutal to watch. Akashi Seijuurou was a true monster and his team was made up of astonishing players. Shuutoku’s own miracle played incredibly, his long three-pointers never missing, and Tatsuya couldn’t help cheering for him. He fell down but always got up again - as did his teammate - in the face of absolute power.

In the fourth quarter Tatsuya saw the most awe-inspiring play he had ever seen – more so than the dunk Taiga had used to finish off their match or even any of Atsushi’s moves. Takao passed the ball to Midorima who was already in the air in his shooting form and sent the ball straight into the basket. The hours of practice and trust that a move like that required especially in a clutch situation was unimaginable. Even Atsushi next to him was shocked. They had made good plays in their own game, but what those two first years showcased was art – and they managed to repeat it over and over again.

Shuutoku rose only to fall again after Akashi scored an own basket. Tatsuya couldn’t hear the words he said to his team but the atmosphere was chilling. Hiroki’s friend had called Akashi a psychopath the day Atsushi had used that name as a threat, and Tatsuya could see where that impression came from without ever exchanging a single word with the guy.

The chills from watching the game had not faded by the time he and Atsushi went to grab something to eat in the arena's cafeteria before Taiga’s game.

“So that was your old captain,” Tatsuya stated, trying to break the wall of silence. Atsushi nodded, and the silence continued. His appetite was gone.

“There are two Akachins.” The sudden words startled Tatsuya, and he looked up at Atsushi, who was eating his second sandwich with a bored expression. “There is the good Akachin and then there is the bad Akachin. I killed the good one.”

“What are you talking about, Atsushi?” Was he finally ready to talk about this?

“When our skills were starting to shine, Minechin was so good he didn’t want to come to practice. I was strong too – physically more so than Minechin. I didn’t want to go to practice either, because it was so boring. We were already the best. We never lost. Akachin tried to force us to come though, so I challenged him. I said I wouldn’t take orders from someone weaker than me…”

All the while he spoke, Atsushi stared ahead as if the past was a video playing in front of him. Tatsuya wanted to say something, but he didn’t know what was appropriate.

“I was leading four to zero, but then Akachin changed and looked down upon us all with those eyes. He defeated me five to four. Even though I lost, he allowed us to skip practice.

“We had of course seen glimpses of the bad Akachin before, but only on rare and random occasions. He was always very nice and polite to everyone. He was busy, so he didn’t hang out with the rest of us that much outside of school, but when he did, we had a good time. There were a few times he went candy shopping with me and even treated me to expensive snacks.

“And I killed him.”

Tatsuya’s heart broke when he saw how Atsushi’s hands trembled and he reached over the table to hold of them. The confession explained why Atsushi had always been reluctant to speak of Akashi and why he had refused to go up against him at the Inter-High. He harboured so much guilt over losing such a dear friend.

“It’s not your fault, Atsushi. Challenging your captain is wrong, but you were kids and by no means are you responsible for Akashi’s switch in personality. As you said, bad Akachin had been there before, but I’m sure the good one isn’t dead.”

Atsushi sniffled and squeezed Tatsuya’s hand crushingly hard.

***

Without knowing their heading Atsushi followed Murochin until he stopped in a quiet corridor. Arms wrapped around him and pulled him down into a comforting embrace. Atsushi let his head hang over Murochin’s shoulder. His wrongdoings were yet to be settled and they weighed heavily on his heart, but the heat radiating from Murochin made him feel a bit better, less empty.

He had never asked for one, but he had received an angel.

“Murochin,” he sighed and pulled the other as close to him as possible. Fingers combed through his hair and Murochin hummed soothingly. Atsushi’s body was burning. “Murochin, Murochin, Murochin…” He pressed small kisses along Murochin’s neck and enjoyed the tugs on his hair. They were playing with fire, but shame didn’t bother him.

“Should we go buy some more chips before the next game?” Murochin asked and cupped Atsushi’s face.

Chips always sounded good, but he didn’t really feel like letting go of the warmth in his arms.

“Or we could skip the stupid game and go back to the hotel…”

“Well, I’m watching it and so will you. Our friends are playing. After that we can do whatever you want.” Murochin flicked him lightly on his forehead. “Snacks are my treat.”

Maybe the game was worth watching… But Atsushi still wouldn’t let go of Murochin. He propped his head against the top of Murochin’s head and enjoyed the peace and quiet of their own bubble, the soft scent of Murochin’s hair products overwhelming him.

_ Mine. Mine. Mine. _

Peace was cut too short.

“Hello, Murasakibara-kun,” a soft voice called out to him. Kurochin… A part of him wasn’t ready to face Kurochin after the match but still he turned around while Murochin wiggled out of his hold. That weasel.

“Himuro-san.” Kurochin’s large eyes landed on Murochin. “Are you feeling alright?” Murochin kept smiling but blinked a few times in confusion. “I heard from Kagami-kun about what happened with Haizaki-kun.”

“Oh that!” Murochin laughed and skimmed his face with his fingertips. Despite the thick layer of makeup, the bruises were slightly visible, and when Atsushi paid too much attention to them, his blood began to boil. “It’s nothing – just a few bruises. I’m feeling quite fine.” Then Murochin glanced at Atsushi. “I must hurry to the bathroom, but meet me by the entrance.”

“Okay…” he responded. But hadn’t Murochin just gone to the toilet after the game?

“Good luck in the match to you, Taiga and everyone,” Murochin flashed a bright smile to Kurochin before scurrying off and totally abandoning Atsushi.

“You two seem to have settled your differences from yesterday,” Kurochin stated with the corners of his mouth turned up ever so slightly.

“Yah,” Atsushi said. He reached into his pocket for the last Maiubou and took little bites out of it. The absolution he sought for what he did to Kurochin and his little friend was presented to him, but he didn’t know what to say. It wasn’t like he was trying to ignore the past and move on, but what could he even say. Why would Kurochin even forgive him? It had been that little guy who had been completely crushed by what he had done with Kisechin and Minechin…

“Do you still hate basketball?”

“Kurochin, don’t tempt me to crush you before your game…” he mumbled. Losing had hurt and it was still annoying. All the effort the team and even Atsushi had poured into winning, all the months of torturous training Murochin had done… All of it had been futile.

The final minutes of the game itself had been different. The thrill of fighting for victory together with Murochin and the rest of the team had kind of been a nice feeling. He still didn’t understand the likes of Kiyoshi Teppei who insisted that basketball was fun, but maybe - just maybe - the stupid sport wasn’t all that bad. Kurochin didn’t need to hear all that, and for some reason, Atsushi had an inkling that the other knew his sentiments already.

He swallowed the rest of the Maiubou bar and decided to go after Murochin. When he passed Kurochin, Atsushi ruffled his fluffy hair.

“Do your best, Kurochin."

“Thank you, Murasakibara-kun.”

Atsushi turned around and gave his friend a small smile.

_ I’m sorry_. The words were never voiced.

***

Tatsuya had empathy for Ryota who had lost despite struggling so desperately for a comeback, but more than that he was proud of Taiga and his team. Even though the favour of the audience had tipped over to Kaijo, Taiga had not allowed it to get to his head and fought.

Kise Ryota was a strong opponent, much more so than when Yosen and Kaijo had faced off in the practice match, but Tatsuya was uncertain how Taiga would manage against Akashi Seijuurou in the finals the next day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've managed to write two chapters this week and chapter 17 will have two of the worst lines in this fic but they are also my favourites just because they are absolutely ridiculous.
> 
> Currently writer's block is hitting hard because the lack of plot/conflict annoys me. I feel like there's no tension to anything going on in this fic so my literary senses are ticked off. But I'm not dropping this!! I'm still having fun!


	17. Absolution

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, I'm still managing to get these chapters out though I fear the quality is dropping... I'll try to improve on the quality of future uploads!
> 
> Hope you lovelies still enjoy this! <3

“Thanks for coming Tatsuya. I wanted to settle this before the finals.” There was a hint of uncertainty behind Taiga’s face of determination. He had always been so transparent.

“I know,” Tatsuya said and Taiga’s eyes went wide before he managed to recompose himself to appear somewhat calm. 

“I’m sorry about what happened in America. But I wish we still could be like –”

“That’s enough.” He didn’t want to hear more. _Like we were back then: brothers._ Was basketball worth destroying that bond? Tatsuya loved basketball but he also cared about his idiot of a little brother. His fingers clasped the ring and the chain it hung from that he had kept in his pocket these past few days. “I should apologise to you... I’m sorry for everything, Taiga. Let’s play again. Actually, I hope we do.”

“Tatsuya…”

Tatsuya put the chain around his neck and welcomed the light weight of the ring against his chest. He wasn’t even certain if he had ever truly considered discarding it. Some things were far too precious to sacrifice.

“As rivals and brothers.” It was a choice he was never going to regret. “I’m going to watch the game.” He grabbed his brother by the shoulder. “Do your best. Let me see you become the number one player, bro.”

“‘Course!” Taiga responded with a bright, confident grin.

***

That pass. Atsushi would recognise it out of a million others.

“Akachin…” It was him – there was no mistaking it. 

Atsushi wanted to jump from his seat and go on the court to meet him but he couldn’t. So he stared as Akachin moved gracefully without the air of absoluteness surrounding him. The Emperor was gone, and he was supporting his players like he had supported them in the past.

“What is it?” Murochin turned to him with a worried look in his eye.

“It’s Akachin. He’s back.”

***

He pushed past the masses leaving the stands, down to the changing rooms. Rakuzan’s members might have needed some time alone after losing to Kurochin’s team, but Atsushi couldn’t care. He wanted to see Akachin.

Everyone in the changing room was down. Their shooting guard was crying with the power forward keeping a consoling hand on his shoulder while the tiny small forward sat on his hunkers on a bench and hugged his own legs. They turned to look at him when he barged in but none of them had the energy to complain.

“Where’s Akachin?” Atsushi scanned the faces of everyone else in the room.

“Sei-chan is still outside,” the shooting guard replied without bothering to wipe his tears.

“Uh, do you mind if I wait here?” Everyone’s dejected expressions made him feel awkward. The shooting guard moved his stuff a bit to give him room. They didn’t try to make conversation with him and he was the last person to force any of them to talk even if he was beyond excited. A nervousness still gnawed at him. Was this Akachin aware of what had transpired? Would he blame Atsushi?

The door opened and he glanced up. It wasn’t Akachin but Murochin who looked uncomfortable as the center of everyone’s attention.

“I’m sorry to intrude, but I’m here to get my friend,” he said politely before walking over. “Atsushi, it is rude to disturb others after a game. Give them their own space. Akashi won’t go anywhere.”

“No. Stupid Murochin doesn’t understand.” There was no telling how long good Akachin would be with them so he couldn’t lose any time. He had to apologise instantly, because if he missed his chance, he’d continue hating himself for the rest of his life. Murochin’s face fell and he gave a plaintive smile.

“I don’t claim to understand. I merely had consideration for the other team, but if you’re insistent, you do as you please.”

Murochin reached into his pocket and fished out a clean tissue. He passed it to the shooting guard who gawked at him with large tearful eyes like he was a saint.

“It was a close game, and you were all incredible. Take pride in it.” The very air around Murochin glittered when he smiled to Rakuzan’s players before taking his leave with a repeated apology for bothering them. It really was unfair how beautiful someone could be…

“Who was he?” The shooting guard still ogled at the door that Murochin had closed behind himself.

“Murochin.” Atsushi glared at the other boy who was clutching the tissue in his hand. Murochin was his, but he was uncertain whether he was at liberty to say it. Something about Murochin had been so distant. Maybe he shouldn’t have called him stupid… After all, Murochin had just tried to be thoughtful even if he had been annoying.

The click alerted Atsushi of the opening door, and his eyes met with Akachin’s that were both evenly red and warm.

“Murasakibara? What are you doing here?” Akachin asked but there was no malice in his voice, simple surprise.

“Akachin…” It was all he managed to say. He got up, walked over to his old Captain and without any shame wrapped his arms around him. “I’m so sorry, Akachin.” Tears ran down his cheeks as small hands patted his back. “I’m sorry about what I did to you.”

“You are forgiven. What happened wasn’t your fault, so worry not. It was most likely inevitable, and I do not blame you.”

“I missed you, Akachin.” Atsushi straightened up and let go of Akachin. People were staring at them but that didn’t matter: none of them knew what had happened. None of them knew how meaningful that moment was to Atsushi. No matter what anyone said, it had been his defiance that had made Akachin turn bad, and seeing him with the old softness in his expressions was a dream come true.

“It has been too long, hasn’t it?” Akachin’s eyes glistened. “We have a lot of catching up to do.”

A smile of pure happiness spread across Atsushi’s face. The guilt might never fully go away but Akachin was back and he wanted to hang out again! That was all that mattered. He sniffled and wiped away the gross tears even if more were still forming. He recalled Murochin crying over his face… It had been so annoying. Ugh, now he was being so annoying.

“Um, if you need a tissue, the one your friend gave me is still clean,” the long-haired shooting guard interrupted and held out the tissue. It had the same appeal as Sacchin’s cooking. Like hell he would accept a tissue Murochin had given to another guy.

“Murochin gave it to you,” Atsushi huffed and turned away from the guy whose face had started to annoy him a lot.

“A holy relic! I can keep it!” the shooting guard shouted in an overly excited manner.

“It’s just a tissue, Mibuchi,” that shadow third-year said. A voice of reason.

“Gifted by a gorgeous angel.” Mibuchi, was practically swooning, and irritation bubbled inside Atsushi. Would Akachin be mad, if he crushed one of his team members?

“Can I get a little piece of it, Reo-nee? Maybe it will work as a lucky charm in exams,” The small forward bounced from the bench, but Mibuchi held the tissue up in the air out of the small forward’s immediate reach.

“No, he gave it to me. Too bad for you that the angel only had eyes for me.” That finally did it.

“I’ve had enough! Murochin’s mine,” Atsushi couldn’t contain himself anymore. “I’ll crush you if you touch him. No one who can’t get past me is even worthy of talking to him.”

Even Akachin looked at him in surprise but there was great amusement apparent on his features. Mibuchi was shocked but didn't show signs of giving up on whatever fantasies he entertained, and Atsushi just wanted out of there. The sweet reunion with Akachin was starting to have a sour aftertaste.

Atsushi turned to his old Captain and after a quick exchange hurried away to look for Murochin.

***

Tatsuya blew a cloud of smoke into the chilly winter air and rested his gaze on the trees around the outside courts that swayed in the wind. Taiga really had won… Despite the jealousy that hadn’t yet extinguished, Tatsuya was extremely proud of his little brother who had defeated Akashi Seijuurou. No one else deserved that victory more than Taiga and Seirin, even if admitting it was painful. It didn’t mean that their rivalry had come to an end; Tatsuya had every intention of developing new skills and facing against Taiga again.

For all his attempts to focus on those positive feelings of pride and optimism, he couldn’t shake the gut-wrenching guilt that was practically baseless.

He took another drag of the cigarette and slowly exhaled.

Something about Atsushi’s words bothered him, and it wasn’t that he had been called stupid. Tatsuya had thought that he understood Atsushi and his emotions concerning his Teiko days, but there was still a disconnect between them that had lead him to push in the wrong situation. Atsushi had carried the guilt of a killer and feared the personality that had emerged from the depths of a dear friend. Of course seeking forgiveness was of utmost importance. Tatsuya hadn’t taken that into consideration and only thought of the sentiments of a team that had lost.

If he wanted to be a good boyfriend to Atsushi, he would have to be better than someone who simply tried to be likeable for the sake of it. Yet he wasn’t, which left him disappointed in himself. He doubted Atsushi even thought so deeply of that short interaction, but Tatsuya couldn’t overlook it no matter how hard he tried.

There had been no malintent from either of them and his behaviour hadn’t been fuelled by anything as absurd as jealousy. There was only that disconnect between their fundamental ways of thinking, which wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, but he feared becoming a villain to Atsushi over time because of it. His heart would shatter if that day ever came. It was foolish to speak of love at that stage, but Atsushi was dear to him – more so than any of his exes had ever been.

The arms that enfolded Tatsuya startled him so much that he almost shrieked and choked on the smoke he had inhaled.

“Found you, Murochin.”

“You scared me!” Tatsuya turned to reprimand the other boy, but before he got a single word out, Atsushi bent down to kiss him. What was left of his cigarette fell from his fingers. He parted his lips and Atsushi’s tongue pushed in past them…

As suddenly as Atsushi had kissed him, he pulled away and wiped his mouth.

“Bleh! Murochin, you smoke? Yucky, yucky!” Atsushi’s nose wrinkled up in genuine disgust. Tatsuya reached into his pocket for a chocolate bar he had been saving for later and offered it to Atsushi who devoured it in a few bites.

“Sorry about that,” he said with a smile. Atsushi was being extremely cute. “Don’t worry, I don’t smoke out of habit. This was my first time since coming to Japan.”

“Good. It tastes bad and I don’t want Murochin to get lung cancer,” Atsushi grumbled. Tatsuya sighed and rested his head against Atsushi’s warm chest to hide his grin. Geez, this boy! “Why were you even smoking and where did you get it?”

“Oh, I asked these two women for one. I just pretended to be a university student.” That was easy to answer – the other question not so much. He had really just felt like it and maybe it had been because of his self-loathing. Tatsuya wanted to talk to Atsushi about his insecurities and worries, but seeing how happy and carefree Atsushi was, he couldn’t put that weight on him. And maybe he was getting worked up over nothing. No two people thought in exactly the same way. That's why relationships took effort and required compromises to make things work. “The taste really is horrible. Should we go buy some sweets?”

Atsushi got so excited that he didn’t even point out how Tatsuya had avoided his question.

***

At night they didn’t do adult things but they still shared a bed and just gazed at each other in the darkness. Murochin ran his fingers through Atsushi’s hair and nestled closer to him. Atsushi kept drawing small circles against Murochin’s back. That time it was Murochin who closed the distance between them to exchange a few sloppy kisses.

“You’re gorgeous,” Murochin whispered against his lips, and Atsushi really wanted to believe him. He let his hand travel to Murochin’s waist where it stayed firmly until he fell asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have no idea what happened with this chapter... I would say the next chapter is better but I've lost all sense of critical judgement by this point. Foreshadowing is also impossible because I have nothing concrete prepared for the future of this fic and i'm just pumping out stuff. Hopefully the outcome won't be too messy :) 
> 
> But yeah, I'm totally going to write that practice match that Akashi arranged between Yosen and Rakuzan in Kuroko's birthday episode!
> 
> Oh and please feel free to give critical feedback! I want to do my best to improve this fic before it turns into a complete trainwreck :D


	18. On the same page

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This fic is still relevant goddammit even if I took a two week break from uploading!
> 
> WARNING for the 1% of people who are here, in this E-rated fic, for the fluff: NSFW stuff up ahead! 
> 
> ...But really now, what's the point of writing about the cutest/hottest KnB ship if you can't combine fluff & smut?

Atsushi was so beat when he got back to the dorms that he couldn’t even consider going outside to restock on his snacks. The entire tournament week spent in Tokyo felt like another life or a dream you could barely recall upon waking up. He had suffered his second defeat, Akachin had returned, and he had done it with his Murochin.

When he tried to take a nap, his mind refused to turn off and he just twisted and turned on the bed. Usually he had no trouble falling asleep. Maybe he could go and see Murochin? They had been apart for only an hour but Atsushi already felt deprived… He stumbled out of bed, changed into his sweatpants and pulled a warm hoodie over his t-shirt. If he fell asleep in Murochin’s room he would be comfortable in them.

In the corridor he bumped into someone who had his hood up and hands stuffed deep into his pockets. It only took a second glance to recognise him.

“Murochin?” Murochin looked up and there was an unreadable expression on his face. Atsushi had seen the same kind on the previous day and earlier when they had sat next to each other on the train.

“We need to talk,” Murochin said blankly, and Atsushi didn’t like the sound of that. Serious talk was annoying. “I wanted to wait but we have to get it out of the way.”

Well now it really sounded like trouble. Murochin couldn’t hate him, could he? Atsushi was very awake as they walked back to his room.

“Wait, Atsushi, were you headed somewhere? It can wait that long.”

“Nah, I was coming to see you, but it seems I didn’t have to.” Atsushi could have been mistaken but he thought that Murochin smiled at that. Was he pleased? Reading Murochin was so hard, more so than Kurochin who usually spoke his mind honestly. With Murochin he always had to keep guessing and observing every detail to understand him and it was tiring.

Atsushi sat cross-legged on his bed and he really needed something to eat. Chips would have been particularly nice, but there was nothing in the room save for the remains of that one chocolate bar in the bin that had tasted horrible and he wasn’t that desperate. Surely he could stay still for a few minutes – for Murochin, who sat next to him after pacing around for a while. The situation reminded him of when they had apologised and kissed each other but the atmosphere was different in some way.

“I’ve been thinking about something Fukui said,” Murochin began which already didn’t sound too promising. Their point guard rarely said anything too thought-provoking nor did anyone else on the team. “You’re open about your affection, Atsushi.”

“Is that a bad thing?” His guts twisted and hands clenched into fists around the sheets.

“No, it’s not,” Murochin said. He glanced to the side and a furrow appeared between his brows. “It can be, which is why we need to have this talk before going back to school tomorrow.”

Atsushi cocked his head. He didn’t quite understand.

“Firstly, what do you want to have with me?”

“I just want you to be mine.” It was a simple fact to him that he had known ever since he had seen that third year touch Murochin and forced them apart. The answer brought a blush to Murochin’s porcelain cheeks but the furrow didn’t go away.

“And how serious are you? About being with me?” Was that even a question? Atsushi had been ready to break Zakichin’s skull for beating up Murochin and he had entered the Zone for him. There was only one other whose word he followed as diligently, and Akachin was Akachin while Murochin was Murochin. They were different, and Atsushi only wanted Murochin.

“Are you an idiot?” Murochin’s face turned even more red. This conversation was stupid and annoying. “If you have something to say, say it.”

“It’s just that not everyone will be accepting of who we are. We are lucky the starters on our team seem to be fine with it, but others can bully us for liking someone of our own gender. It happened to me in America, but I also had a lot of support. I’m not sure if we will have that support here at Yosen,” Murochin explained with a calm voice.

“If you’re worried about bullies, I’ll crush them so you don’t have to be afraid.”

“This isn't only about me but you as well. There are two of us! And it’s not just bullies… How would you feel if Suzuki would start to avoid you or look at you differently? He might not mean anything bad by it but he could just be uncomfortable about you being with another guy. I’m asking you how serious you are, because you must consider the consequences of outing yourself.”

Atsushi liked Suzuchin, so the prospect of losing that friendship sounded horrifying. He was rather certain that his friend also liked Murochin but there was always a chance that Suzuchin had nothing but feelings of respect towards his upperclassman. And even if Suzuchin really was like Atsushi, he could start hating him for getting together with Murochin. Now he got why Murochin was so earnest of the matter…

“How many boys do you know who have a boyfriend or girls with a girlfriend?”

Kisechin certainly liked Kurochin, but it was always brushed off as a joke because Kisechin still went out with girls and he wasn't too serious about the whole thing. Midochin apparently liked boys despite lame attempts at denying it, but he also kept that part of himself strictly hidden. Atsushi didn’t know about anyone else who was like them. In books, movies and shows love was always between a man and a woman. An anime he had watched with An-nee had shown two background character girls who were probably together, but he couldn’t remember anything else.

“There are surprisingly many who are like us, but most keep their intimacy a secret. If you want to, we can do that,” Murochin said with a small smile. It sounded like less trouble but the thought of not being able to hold Murochin throughout the whole day wasn’t appealing. Making such a compromise sucked.

“Okay… We can do that.” Atsushi reached for Murochin and pulled him into his lap. “You are still mine, right?”

“Of course!” Murochin gave him a quick kiss, but the troubled look from earlier plagued his pretty face again. After some hesitation Murochin opted to speak again. “However, I need to make sure that should things ever go wrong between us, would you be able to let go of me?”

Atsushi’s mind clicked. He had dreamed of being together so much he had never given a shred of thought to the possibility of what could happen if that dream became the reality it currently was. Many relationships ended in breakup, which meant that maybe they wouldn’t be together forever. The mental image of Murochin leaving him for someone else was gut-wrenching. It hurt like losing that fateful one-on-one had hurt.

His bottom lip trembled and he couldn’t respond. Why had Murochin said something so horrible?

“Are you alright? Atsushi!” Murochin called out to him and took hold of his head. “I don’t ever want to leave you, but I must know. You see, I was once with someone who couldn’t let me go and it ended messily and I never want a repeat of that. I have to be sure that leaving is safe so that I can give myself to you, because Atsushi, I want to be yours.”

So that’s what it was about… But the fear of losing Murochin had already settled among his numerous insecurities.

“I don't want you to leave.” Atsushi swallowed. He liked the other boy too much. The darkest part of him never wanted to let go of him – it would rather lock Murochin up forever than let him leave – but his reasonable side would never do something like that. Murochin was gorgeous when he danced on the court and smiled happily, and Atsushi wouldn’t be able to like a Murochin who was denied of his freedom.

If someone else came along to take Murochin away, Atsushi would probably put up a fight, but ultimately he would never have the heart to keep him from what he loved best, no matter how much it hurt.

He had to be absolutely certain about his answer for Murochin’s sake. 

“However, I want Murochin to be happy. If it means leaving me, I’ll let you go.”

***

_ Thank god. _Tatsuya flung his arms around Atsushi’s neck and kissed him hard. Atsushi held him crushingly tight and that embrace was safe. Now his future was guaranteed and he could surrender to the moment. They paused to rest their foreheads against one another.

“That goes both ways, just so you know. I hope the day never comes, but if you ever feel trapped with me, you don’t have to stay.”

“Stupid Murochin,” Atsushi muttered and kissed the tip of Tatsuya’s nose, his forehead, cheeks, lips… Tatsuya’s blood was coursing through his veins far away from his head straight to his groin. Damn it, he desired the boy so much! However, the hardness pressing against him made it apparent that he wasn’t the only one enjoying the moment. Atsushi took off his hoodie, but when Tatsuya’s hands found their way underneath his t-shirt to roam over the rock-hard abs, he stalled.

“What about preparations? I don’t have any –”

“What kind of an idiot do you take me for?” Tatsuya looked up at him teasingly and reached into his pocket to pull out a small bottle of lube. He had already cleaned himself in the shower before coming to meet Atsushi. “If I’m going to see my boyfriend in the evening to talk about our relationship, of course I will be prepared for all possible outcomes.”

A rosy blush adorned Atsushi’s cheeks, but he didn’t stay flustered for long and they both got to work to rid each other of clothes at lightning fast speed. Once the last pieces of clothing were off they crashed in a passionate kiss that left Tatsuya dizzy in the head. All he could focus on was how Atsushi’s tongue licked around his mouth to claim it and how large hands fondled him before one of them settled to squeeze his behind. This was only their second time doing anything yet Atsushi was far more assertive than before and didn’t give Tatsuya a chance to do anything but submit.

“Take me,” he managed to mumble at some point. Atsushi toppled them over onto the bed where he pushed Tatsuya against the mattress and climbed over him. Strong hands held him in place by his chest while Atsushi kissed him, nibbling at his lips, before moving down, tongue licking over Tatsuya’s body, around his nipples, along the lines of his muscles… 

Without hesitation Atsushi took Tatsuya’s length into his hot mouth and Tatsuya’s hips automatically thrust up. His legs were forced further apart as Atsushi settled between them. The steady licks were painfully slow, and Tatsuya couldn’t tell if it was purposeful or due to inexperience; it felt like Atsushi was just licking a lollipop instead of sucking dick. Though the way he swirled his tongue around the tip felt incredible.

His helpless whines were turning into loud moans, and without stopping to say anything Atsushi slammed his other hand over Tatsuya’s mouth. _ Shit! _He had completely forgotten they were back at the dorms.

Release was building up in his groin, and his hips started buckling up. Luckily Atsushi allowed it or else Tatsuya would have lost his mind.

“Atsushi, I’m coming,” he whimpered against Atsushi’s hand and pulled from his hair to get him up before it was too late. Atsushi only took him in deeper into his hot and wet mouth, and Tatsuya couldn’t stop himself from coming. Through his lashes he could see Atsushi get up onto his knees while licking his lips. He had swallowed it!

“So that’s what Murochin tastes like…” was all he said as he scowled like he was trying to decide whether it was a good or a bad taste. The wanton gaze of purple eyes landed on Tatsuya’s face. He must have been a complete mess – at least he felt like one. Atsushi’s expression softened. “Murochin is cute.”

“Wha –”

Atsushi poked the tip of his cock.

“This part of you is cute as well… It’s so pink and small.”

Tatsuya was absolutely humiliated and he wanted nothing but to crawl into a dark hole never to be seen by anyone. _ He wasn’t that small! _ And how exactly was he cute in any shape or form? The pleasure from his orgasm vanished into thin air even if his muscles were still wasted.

“I’ll have you know I’m perfectly average sized! You’re just massive, so the comparison is hardly fair,” he retorted and Atsushi looked down at himself. Now that he was rock hard he was impossibly big.

“Oh… Is Murochin mad?” Tender fingers brushed his cheek, and he felt his embarrassment slowly fade. He gave a quick lick to the thumb stroking his lips and shook his head. A childish grin spread across Atsushi’s features as he bent down to kiss Tatsuya’s temple. Something hard and heavy brushed against his thigh, begging for attention.

“Do you want me to touch you?”

“No.” Atsushi pulled away. “I want to put it in, so work yourself open.” It wasn’t a question. Fuck. _ Oh fuck! _He was so weak. His dick stirred back to life.

He rolled over to reach the lube on the nightstand and squirted some over his fingers before slipping his hand between his legs. The room was completely silent save for Tatsuya’s sharp intakes of breath as he fingered himself and Atsushi’s heavy exhales. He stared at Tatsuya intently and his pupils were so dilated that it looked like he was high. Was he getting some kind of kick from this?

A hand clutched the back of his thigh and forcibly pushed it up so that Tatsuya was bent over in half. Atsushi’s other hand was lazily stroking his own length, spreading lube over it. The new position left Tatsuya entirely exposed and all his past experience did not erase how shameful it was, being watched so closely as his slick fingers moved in and out of his hole for Atsushi’s viewing pleasure.

“I’m ready,” he sighed a bit sooner than he probably should have, but he couldn’t take it anymore or else he would have come again solely because of the feral gleam in Atsushi’s eyes. He was so horny it was disgusting. “Atsushi, please fuck me. I need you.”

Atsushi passed him a tissue to clean his hand and walked over to his wardrobe. Tatsuya couldn’t see what he was doing but when he returned he had his hair tied back and a black bandana in his hand.

“Get up.” Tatsuya did as commanded and Atsushi kneeled in front of him. “Murochin is being too loud.” That was all the warning he got before Atsushi gagged him with the scarf and tied it at the back of his head.

Something inside him snapped; he was done waiting and straddled Atsushi, taking support of his shoulders as he lowered around him. It hurt so much, like he was getting split apart, but he bit into the bandana and pushed past the pain, taking the other all the way in.

“Pretty Murochin,” Atsushi hummed and wiped away the few teardrops rolling down his cheeks. Tatsuya wrapped his legs around Atsushi and nuzzled his neck to tell him to start moving. There was nothing he needed as much.

Atsushi rolled his hips gently and Tatsuya did his best to match the rhythm though in that position he might have moved because of Atsushi’s hands controlling his body rather than his own effort. Whatever force it was that kept him in motion, it worked wonders, and a bit by bit the pace got quicker. Luckily Atsushi had thought of the gag, because if it wasn’t muffling his moans, the entire dorm wing would know just how good it felt to have Atsushi plough him, make his insides turn into jelly.

Teeth sank into Tatsuya’s shoulder and stayed there while Atsushi sucked on the spot. The chain around his neck chafed him as Atsushi pulled from it but not with enough strength to leave a mark though Tatsuya couldn’t imagine complaining even if he did.

“Am I not better?”

Tatsuya blinked. His mind and senses were hazy so he wasn’t certain he had heard correctly, but he must have. It had been so clear. Was Atsushi jealous of _ Taiga_?

Atsushi pulled away from the crook of his neck, and he looked hot beyond description, like some kind of sex god. His flushed skin glistened with sweat, muscles rippled with every movement and his mouth was gaping with saliva dripping from its corners. Loose strands of purple hair were stuck to his face and his heavily lidded eyes examined Tatsuya in the exact same way he was checking Atsushi out.

“You belong to me. Not to anyone else.” He pulled a little harder from the chain which forced Tatsuya to lift his chin and bare his throat.

It wasn’t sweet talk; it was an absolute declaration, and paired up with a few thrusts to the right spot, it made Tatsuya come over both their stomachs. His body shuddered before going lax, and all he could do was keep taking Atsushi in deep while whining around the scarf in his mouth. Atsushi’s arms squeezed Tatsuya against his chest and it was as though he was being engulfed by the large body.

“Murochin, I’m –”

Atsushi bit down into his neck to hide his groan and his hot seed splatter inside Tatsuya. They both clung to each other, shaking from their climaxes as their bodies melted into a single being. The kiss they shared burned every inch of Tatsuya, a fire spreading from the tip of his tongue to the ends of his toes.

Once they regained their senses, Atsushi laid Tatsuya onto the mattress and asked if they could do it again. He had been so tired on the train so how was he all of a sudden so energetic? They had school the next day so saying no would have been the appropriate answer, but it wasn’t like he couldn’t take it.

Tatsuya nodded and spread his legs.

***

“Umm… How did I do?”

Asking was stupid, but the thought of his Murochin trembling and whining because of someone else was infinitely worse. There was no way Atsushi could crush all of Murochin’s exes but he had every intention of making Murochin feel much better than any of them had. Murochin’s hand was stroking circles over his chest and there was a smile on his face.

“You did very well.” Then his tone turned mischievous. “I’m not sure I’ve ever come as fast as I just did, not even when it was my first time.”

“You’re saying embarrassing things…” Atsushi buried his face in the pillow, but Murochin just giggled at his reaction. There was no winning against the little devil in his bed who was pushing him onto his back. “Murochin?”

Murochin’s mouth latched onto his pectoral and sucked on the spot for a while before shifting a bit and doing the same to other spots around his upper body.

“Neh, what are you doing?” He was by no means complaining.

“Marking you.” Murochin moved up to kiss him. “It’s unfair that only I am being claimed. You belong to me just as much as I to you.”

Little devil indeed. Atsushi rolled them over and kissed every inch of Murochin’s perfect body.

The next day in practice he got a whacking from Fukui once the point guard spotted the bitemark on Murochin’s neck that had lost its cover of a thick layer of makeup after sweat-inducing drills. They would have to go buy waterproof stuff to conceal it and possible future ones… 

But why was he the only one getting beat up? And when were the third years even going to leave them be?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys are still enjoying this! 
> 
> I have plotted the fic ahead a bit and according to a rough estimate we're only about half-way there... Is that a good thing or a bad thing, not sure yet!


	19. Season of Change

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this chapter is a load of nonsense but I had to say a proper goodbye to the third years!
> 
> It's a bit short but next two will compensate for that, I swear!
> 
> Also, should I warn for underage drinking? Well, you've been warned

On the Friday after returning to Akita, practice was very emotional; it was a bittersweet farewell to the third years who had given years of work and effort for the team. Okamura and Fukui promised to come see them and play a bit after their exams were over, but it was nevertheless the end of an era. Tatsuya hadn’t been a part of the team for as long as many others, but the times they had shared on the court and on the brink of death after torturous training had evoked a camaraderie between them. He would miss them dearly.

After practice all three strings gathered to wish the retiring club members good fortune in their futures. Coach Araki thanked them for the glory they had brought Yosen’s basketball team on a national level and in the Captain’s speech Okamura repeated the sentiments, highlighting the honour of being the captain of such an imposing team.

“It is also time to pass that mantle onto someone else.” Okamura’s gaze focused on Tatsuya. “You joined us a bit later than everyone else, but I’m certain that there isn’t a person on this team who hasn’t been impressed by the skill and determination of our Dragon Ace. You’ve got a fire in you, so keep it burning for the team, won’t you? Coach, Fukui and I all think there is no one more suited for the role of captain.”

Tatsuya’s eyes watered for some reason, and he gave an affirmative nod.

“That would be an honour, Captain.”

“Honour is all mine to be succeeded by someone like you. Lead our boys to greatness, Captain.”

When the little party in the club room was over, the old starters headed out to karaoke to party for real. Okamura and Fukui tried drinking for the first time even though they both had been of age for some time. Neither could hold their liquor at all, so Tatsuya and Wei had a blast at making fun of them as they tried to drunkenly out-sing each other. It was so pathetic that Tatsuya whipped out his fake papers from America and decided to show them how it’s done. On principle, the third years protested against his lowly bad boy ways but neither busted him for underage drinking nor did Wei, who confidently believed he would soon have three fools to make fun of.

Maybe the new Vice-Captain had a knack for fortune telling, because sure enough, the whirl hit his head sooner than he had expected. Damn, he had become light-weight since moving to Japan, but little did he care. He was beyond himself with joy as he belted duets with Okamura, taught Fukui how to play poker and became the victim of a vicious tickle attack after Wei learned how sensitive he was. Wei was relentless even with Atsushi glaring down at him.

“Save me!” Tatsuya shrieked with tears in his eyes and familiar arms scooped him up to the safety of Atsushi’s lap.

“Murochin, aren’t you a bit out of control?” Atsushi frowned.

“Do you disapprove of me drinking?” Tatsuya leaned against Atsushi’s chest and reached up to twirl a strand of purple hair. Alcohol had always turned him into a playful tease.

“No… I just don’t understand it…” Atsushi averted his gaze and Tatsuya instantly knew there was more behind his irritation.

“Are you not having fun? You were a bit reluctant to join us.”

“Nah, it‘s not that. I have plenty of snacks and Liu’s been playing cards with me while you guys sing, but…” Atsushi trailed off again and his cheeks were turning rosy. _ Oh_. “’s embarrassing...”

“Just tell me, Atsushi.”.

“Well, it’s just that you sang a love song with Okamura and let Liu be all touchy-touchy with you,” Atsushi muttered with a serious expression. Tatsuya’s heart was about to implode from his cuteness. “I’m not saying you can’t, but it’s just annoying that Liu found out you’re ticklish before me.”

Tatsuya let out a loud belly laugh that made his abs ache. Atsushi could get jealous about the most obscure things and it would never not amuse him.

“You have discovered a lot more, though,” Tatsuya snickered with an impish grin. “And I can sing you a song, if you want me to. Either now or later –” Tatsuya got up slightly so his mouth was right by Atsushi's ear "– when I’m moaning in pleasure because of how good it feels to have you use me.”

Atsushi’s face went completely red and Tatsuya could feel his muscles tense up.

“Should I get us a room at a hotel?” That was the final blow and Atsushi pushed him away.

“Just sing with the others and let me eat.” He was pouting and refusing eye contact, but Tatsuya was ready to bet good money that he had just given his boyfriend a boner in public. Fun times were definitely up ahead.

“That’s a shame,” he sighed over-exaggeratedly, “because I really wanted to scream your name…”

It was at that moment that he became aware that no one was singing and the room was quiet save for the pop music blasting from the speakers.

“That can be arranged,” Fukui snarled, and Tatsuya turned slowly to see the point guard pull his sleeves up. Okamura and Wei also appeared to be ready to volunteer in the assault about to occur. “Seems like Murasakibara isn’t the only one in need of a lesson. Pass me that pillow, Okamura.”

“I’m sorry!” he yelled as he was getting hit with a surprising sturdy pillow. Fukui had learned well from their Coach.

“You know, Himuro, I will get a girlfriend just to show you how disgusting you are being,” Wei warned once Fukui was done with the beating.

“Hah!” Tatsuya was feeling extremely cocky even if his life might have been in serious danger now that Atsushi was more concerned with his candy than the wellbeing of his lover. “That war is an easy win for me, because you wouldn’t be able to bring her onto the court, meanwhile my sweetheart is our Ace!” He settled back onto Atsushi’s lap and wrapped his arms around his neck.

“Oi, Himuro, if you and Murasakibara dare do any funny stuff during practice, Okamura and I will personally come to pay you a little visit and make you relive your worst nightmares.”

A lollipop was stuffed in Tatsuya’s mouth like a pacifier before he had time to say anything.

“Murochin is being annoying,” Atsushi mumbled and the third years cracked up. Even Wei smirked at the degrading action, but Tatsuya couldn’t feel humiliated, not with purple eyes boring holes in him, not with the hardness rubbing against his ass, not with the heat rising inside him. He was nearly panting and squirming by the time Atsushi realised his condition and shot up to his feet, keeping a steady hold of Tatsuya’s waist. “He’s drank too much, so we’re going.”

When they did get to the dorms, Atsushi didn’t hesitate in leading the way to his room. Clothes were discarded in seconds, and Atsushi had apparently had an epiphany on the different uses his belt could have, so not only was Tatsuya gagged but his hands were tied above his head. He had no choice but to take what Atsushi gave him and it was fucking fantastic!

***

It was snowing again. Large flakes swayed down onto the heaps of snow that kept piling up. Atsushi didn’t want to go outside but he had to find a gift for stupid An-nee and the holidays would start in two days. His brothers were content with getting some nice chocolate but his sister had some weird complex about her weight so she refused to eat snacks. How weird…

They didn’t even really celebrate Christmas as much as New Year but Mum had made gift-giving an absolute tradition and it was the bane of everyone else’s existence in their family. Luckily Murochin had agreed to accompany him to the shopping center to also look for gifts because Murochin would come to Tokyo with him and wanted to partake in the awful tradition.

With a yawn he returned his attention to whatever the teacher was talking about. It was something about geometric functions and he really wanted to jump out of the window.

When the bell eventually rang Atsushi rushed to class 2-A to find Murochin. Tired students shuffled out of the room as he loitered in the hallway on a lookout, but just when he caught a glimpse of shiny black hair combed over one eye, the guy was gone. He edged closer to the door and peeked in.

Murochin was crouching over a desk with a girl and by the sounds of it trying to help her with English.

“Himuro-kun, is it true that you’re the new captain of the basketball team?” the girl chirped.

“Yes,” Murochin said without lifting his gaze from the paper. “Now, here you have also made a small mistake in sentence structure and conjugated the –”

“Is it possible to come to watch you practice, Himuro-kun?” The girl was blushing and nervously twiddling the hems of her skirt. Atsushi had absolutely no sense for feminine beauty but he assumed the girl was pretty – the type that Kisechin sometimes posed with in his modelling pictures.

“I’m sorry,” Murochin said with an apologetic smile. “Our Coach doesn’t like it when outsiders come to watch us.”

Now that was a lie. Masakochin had never complained when Suzuchin had been there or Murochin’s ex or the girl Fukui had been with at some point or anyone else. Did Murochin always lie to keep the girls away?

“Oh, that’s too bad… Well, would Himuro-kun like to –”

“Murochin!” Atsushi interrupted the girl. He had no reason to be jealous of her and he wasn't, but she was making his Murochin uncomfortable so he had to intervene. “Let’s go already. You have no idea how hard it is to find something for An-nee.” Murochin smiled at him widely and seemed pleased to see him. If not for the annoying girl such a look would have compelled Atsushi to kiss his soft lips.

“Do you mind, first year? Himuro-kun is trying to help me,” the girl said with an ugly glare.

“Well you’re just flirting with him and he finds it annoying. So we’re going.”

“And who do you think you are to monopolise him? Do you realise your behaviour might ruin potential relationships for him?”

Murochin twitched slightly as he was getting up but kept his features schooled. That was the first time Atsushi absolutely hated the fact that they had to hide their relationship. He just wanted to yell at the stupid girl that they were gay and run off with Murochin to play videogames and eat candy, but he couldn’t because Murochin would get upset and Suzuchin wouldn’t be his friend anymore.

“I don’t care.” Atsushi stepped closer to the girl and looked down on her short stature. “You’re annoying, and it makes me want to crush you.” He didn’t really like intimidating people but seeing her face go white was oddly satisfying.

“Now, now, Atsushi,” a hand pressed his back lightly, “you shouldn’t talk to girls like that.” He said that but Murochin’s expression revealed signs of amusement. “Not if you want me to treat you to cake later.”

“Huh, okay…” Cake did sound good.

“I hope I was of help, Ren-chan. If you have more trouble with English, feel free to ask me for help again.”

With that out of the way, Murochin started guiding him, hand still on his back, towards the door all the while chatting about how he’d have to find seasonal attire or some nonsense but Atsushi loved listening to those happy meaningless words.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> With the rate these two are going I'll soon have to add a dom/sub and possibly even a light bondage tag to warn readers... Boys, slow the frick down!
> 
> Anyways, up next some Christmas fluff so the Murasakibara family is making a reappearance!
> 
> After that it's Kuroko's birthday! Drama ensues :p


	20. All I want for Christmas

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merry Christmas everyone! <3
> 
> This chapter is just a bit of xmas silliness with the boys.
> 
> Sorry it's badly edited but I've been really busy with work, but hopefully you guys still enjoy it =)

“Mum! Atsu-chan and Himuro-kun are here!” An-nee screamed right after opening the door and seeing them stand there with numerous bags.

“Ooh, Tatsu-chan!” Reiichi-nii’s dumb face popped out of the living room. “An! Guard the fort!”

Before either of them had time to register what the hell was going on, Mum rounded the corner from the kitchen with her arms wide open. She pulled Atsushi into a suffocating hug.

“You’ve grown shorter yet again…” Atsushi smiled. Coming home always felt _ warm_. Mum made a shooing gesture, before pinching his cheek.

“You think that just because you haven’t been home for a while! Not even during the games. I especially took time off of work to come watch you play against Kuroko. He was still such a good boy and greeted me in the lobby where I waited for you before I went to watch Kise’s match. After that there was still no word from you even though I’d sent you numerous texts. I was genuinely worried.”

That just made Atsushi feel bad. He had seen Mum’s texts but ignored them and hurried to sulk in the hotel room around a pile of snacks. Then he had nearly crushed Zakichin… And then he and Murochin –! His face was heating up from the shame of it all.

“I am sorry for keeping your son from you, Mrs. Murasakibara,” Murochin butted in with a smile so bright Mum must have forgotten all her complaints in an instant.

“I’ll hear no such apologies from you! And it’s Ayako. Haven’t we talked about this already,” Mum said with a scowl but the smile on her lips betrayed her. She lead them through to the stairs while An-nee kept standing in front of the living room door, scrolling through her phone. What on earth were his siblings up to?

“Everyone’s coming over for Christmas so I'm afraid you will have to share a room with Atsu again. An! Did you bring the futon up already?”

“Oopsies! One second!”

“Actually…” Murochin glanced up at Atsushi for reassurance. They had had this conversation already and Atsushi had made his opinion clear time and time again, but he nodded just to give Murochin peace of mind. “I doubt the futon will be necessary. Atsushi’s bed is big enough for both of us.” Well, that for sure was the most bizarre and roundabout way of wording it. For all her quick observation skills, Mum was often thrown off by weird phrases so she just kept staring at the two of them while working the maths in her head.

“Mum, Murochin is my boyfriend.” 

That one sentence triggered a fiasco as Mum shrieked and threw herself first at Atsushi, who just cried out in surprise, and then at poor Murochin who looked like he was about to get choked to death. She was being really embarrassing, but fortunately Murochin’s happy smile didn’t fade.

“What the hell is going on up there?” An-nee shouted from the bottom of the chairs. Mum didn’t get to reprimand her for her language before her eyes landed on Atsushi and Murochin’s entwined hands. “Yo, Reiichi, you win! Atsu-chan is totally pegging him.”

“What? Really? But, y'know, even though I won, it doesn’t feel like a victory… And after all the effort we put into this, he chose our dumb little brother…” Atsushi had had enough of his stupid siblings and he had been home for just two minutes.

“Reiichi-nii, you have no right calling me dumb when you have the worst grades of all of us, and An-nee shouldn’t be salty just because Murochin is way hotter than any of the boys who have shown interest in you.”

Before his siblings got a chance to retort, the air around them was filled with the most beautiful sound in the world as Murochin laughed his heart out. His one visible eye was gleaming.

“Murochin?”

“I’m sorry, Atsushi,” Murochin giggled and grabbed his arm. “I’m just overjoyed. I can’t remember the last time I was this happy.”

“Neh, why?” If it was because of his stupid siblings he’d crush them.

“No one has ever introduced me to their family as a boyfriend. I’ve always been a shameful little secret so feeling the love and acceptance is really special, and I don’t know how to handle it. Also, you were being very, very cute, Atsushi.”

_ If only they were alone! _

“Well, you are shameful and little…” Atsushi muttered. He was too embarrassed to say anything with Mum right next to them and his siblings listening keenly. 

“Atsu-chan, that’s rude,” said Reiichi-nii who had somehow materialised beside them. “And Tatsu-chan, I’m offended. We are modern enough not to be a homophobic bunch. Besides, we all feared Atsu-chan would never find anyone. Natsu-nii and I might have spoilt him into an unbearable mess, but he is just so damn adorable…” Reiichi-nii pulled from his cheeks and Atsushi _ really _didn’t appreciate it. At home he had absolutely no standing and his eminence in the basketball scene was meaningless. He would likely still be the baby at forty.

“Mum! The food is burning, and Katsu and Kaiyo just arrived! Oh, and Natsu’s with them.”

The day somehow managed to turn out more chaotic than any of their previous Christmas Eves. Mum refused to let anyone except Natsu-nii and Kaiyochin into the kitchen meanwhile An-nee and Reiichi-nii were prepared to fight to the death to protect the living room, so Atsushi couldn’t even play video games. Murochin was far too popular in the household making it impossible to kidnap him into their room for some time alone. Once he got a short break from the bombard of questions, Murochin suggested that they would go out to play basketball for a while, and Atsushi had never been as glad at the prospect of playing that stupid sport.

Only problem was that Reiichi-nii heard their plans, and he told Natsu-nii who in turn relayed the message to Katsu-nii, who suggested that all of them would play basketball _ together_. The day was turning into a nightmare.

They settled on a three-on-three, and Atsushi was stuck with Natsu-nii and An-nee while Katsu-nii and Reiichi-nii got to have Murochin. Kaiyochin had joined them to be their referee as if their match would be that serious with four useless monkeys jumping around the court. Well, not completely useless, because Katsu-nii had actually played a bit when the ancient creature had been in high school, so together with Murochin they managed to pass Atsushi a few times too many, though mostly all the work was done by Murochin.

“Neh Murochin, you played well,” he said as he munched on the Maiubou bar he had found from his pocket when they were walking back home.

“Thank you! However I still feel like you blocked me out pretty much completely. But the ball did feel lighter than before…”

Atsushi assumed it had to have something to do with going up against that annoying redhead Kagami at the Winter Cup, but he just hummed in response. Murochin was truly an impressive player, and Atsushi couldn’t help but wonder how much potential he had to improve further now that he knew that Kagami had surpassed him and he wouldn’t be as caught up in their stupid rivalry and his insecurities. In the end it was the thing that had always set him apart from them, the Miracles; they played to win for the sake of winning while Murochin wanted to prove something. With that pressure gone things could get interesting, and Atsushi would have been lying if he said he didn’t anticipate their next season slightly.

***

“Absolutely not, Atsushi,” Tatsuya hissed. Had the other gone insane? “Your entire family is here and someone will hear.” Atsushi groaned and buried his face in Tatsuya’s shirt while hugging him tightly. He was like a child who was denied of candy.

“Neh, not even a little?” He crawled up a bit so that he could lick along Tatsuya’s jawline. _ Shit! This brat! _ Tatsuya focused on the face of one of his exes to avoid getting turned on, but it was hardly helping against Atsushi’s insistent tongue that forced its way between Tatsuya’s lips. Something hard touched his thigh through the thin fabric of pyjama pants, and purely sinful thoughts flooded his mind. _ You win. _

“Fine, I’ll suck you off, but we’re doing nothing else and if you get too loud, I’m stopping instantly.” They had ended up in this arrangement often enough during weekdays that Tatsuya didn’t worry about their volume too much.

But with Atsushi he should have always been cautious. Just when he had worked at least half of Atsushi’s length into his mouth, large palms took hold of his cheeks and massaged them. They shouldn’t have done this on the bed with Atsushi on his knees and Tatsuya bent over. It made things too easy for the giant idiot with long arms. When a few fingers slipped beneath his boxers to draw circles right over his hole, Tatsuya had had enough. He bit down lightly on Atsushi’s dick before pulling away.

“I thought my orders were clear enough.”

“But Murochin looked way too sexy!” Atsushi dared complain with an actual pout.

“Well that’s not my problem. Learn some self-restraint!”

“Don’t wanna. I want Murochin!” Atsushi threw himself at Tatsuya who was too slow to properly dodge the attack and ended up tumbling over the edge of the bed. He squawked and grappled onto Atsushi’s arm but to no avail, ending up only pulling him down as well.

With a loud thud they crashed on the floor, but at least Atsushi managed to ease his own landing thanks to his godly reflexes so Tatsuya didn’t get squashed. His backside hurt like a bitch enough as it was.

“Murochin should be more careful…” Atsushi somehow seemed worried and annoyed at the same time.

“Then you shouldn’t leap at me like some purple-maned lion hunting an antelope! We could have both got seriously hurt,” Tatsuya rebuked Atsushi who was repenting of his actions.

“‘M sorry… I didn’t want to hurt Murochin.” Gently Atsushi hugged Tatsuya. “Neh, where does it h–”

The door slammed open and light pouring in from the hallway outlined Katsumi’s silhouette.

“Atsu, are you –” he yelled but as his eyes trailed down and landed on them just lying on the floor, the energy in his voice faded, “–alright?”

Tatsuya smiled up at him from underneath Atsushi’s massive body as if everything was just peachy. There was nothing he could do, so he decided to own up to the situation and be a man about it, unlike Atsushi, who was staring into the darkness underneath his bed with his face completely red.

“I’m sorry for the interruption.” Katsumi pushed his glasses up before swiftly backing out of the room and closing the door. Voices could be heard from the other side, and Tatsuya steeled the part of himself that was capable of feeling shame. He had waltzed through worse situations, right? His past was embarrassing enough as it was, but on second thought he couldn’t come up with anything that might compare to being discovered half-naked by your boyfriend’s family with said boyfriend weighing heavily on top of you.

Natsuki and Reiichi barged in and the latter couldn’t keep in his laughter.

“Atsu-chan, mind explaining what happened?”

“No,” Atsushi muttered and crawled into bed. He pulled the covers over him to hide from everyone.

“I’m sorry about the commotion. It won’t happen again,” Tatsuya apologised as he bounced to his feet. He pulled the oversized t-shirt down a bit to cover up how tight his boxers still were because of Atsushi’s touches.

“It’s quite alright, Tatsuya. That is, if our brother didn’t hurt you or do anything dirty. You do look scandalous in his shirt and he doesn’t have an ounce of control over his whims.” Natsuki moved Tatsuya’s shirt slightly to cover the shoulder it had slipped off of. A low growl sounded from the bed and Tatsuya was pulled down into the warmth of the sheets, pressed against Atsushi.

“Sleep tight, lovebirds!” Reiichi leaned in to squeeze both their cheeks. "And if Atsu-chan is too annoying there's always room for you in my bed too!" The siblings really were a colourful bunch and Tatsuya couldn’t help chuckling as they closed the door behind them. The hold Atsushi had of him got a bit more forceful.

“You do know Reiichi's just joking,” Tatsuya whispered. Reiichi apparently was trying to get together with a girl who sat in front of him during lectures.

"I know, but Natsu-nii is suspicious. No one even knows if he's ever dated."

"I'm quite certain he isn't foolish enough to try to steal me from you. That would be impossible." Atsushi grumbled an incoherent response and pressed his face into Tatsuya’s hair. He elected to change the subject. “Katsumi seemed worried about you?”

“Yuh… I was sick as a kid, so they still worry.” Atsushi said nothing else but Tatsuya pressed him for a better explanation. “I grew up so fast that I just fainted randomly but nothing has happened since the second year of middle school. No need for Murochin to worry about it.”

“No need? Atsushi, what if something happened and I hadn’t known about this?”

“Well I only black out for a moment and there wouldn’t be anything you could even do… And the school knows anyway so nothing bad would happen. You’d just start to be paranoid about every loud sound like my family and it’s annoying.”

Tatsuya couldn’t really say anything in his defence, but the idea of Atsushi suddenly falling over and maybe hitting his head horrified him.

“Just tell me if anything ever happens, so I know what’s going on with you.” Once he’d heard the mumbled reassurance, he hugged Atsushi tightly. Neither of them eased their hold until they fell asleep.

  
  


***

Tatsuya nodded to his reflection: his festive flair was on! The Christmas jumper was snug and cute with a smiley gingerbread man decorating it and his elf-hat brimmed with white tinsel finished the look. Christmas was the one day in the year he was willing to make atrocious fashion mistakes, and he was committed to the crime.

With a bag full of neatly wrapped presents dangling from his arm he danced downstairs where Atsushi was waiting for him.

“What on earth are you wearing?” His nose was scrunching as he eyed Tatsuya up and down but the hint of red on his cheeks revealed that he didn’t hate what he was seeing. The guy himself had bothered to put on something other than his normal t-shirt and hoodie combo, but it was just a plain dress shirt over a t-shirt.

“Something to cover up for your lack of Christmas spirit.” Tatsuya poked the tip of his nose. “Is everyone else in the living room already?”

Atsushi nodded and pushed him towards the right door leading to An and Reiichi’s holy land.

At first he couldn’t see anything because two tall people jumped right in front of him and basically screamed _ Merry Christmas _ at him – in English. Both An and Reiichi were wearing reindeer antlers, and they were colourfully dressed - almost to an obnoxious extent.

“What do you think?” Reiichi insisted before Tatsuya had even had time to properly look around at what the pair had been guarding.

There was a small Christmas Tree in the corner of the room that was tastefully decorated with white and silver, from the curtain rod hung star lights and tiny angels. Tinsel was practically everywhere: around the flowers on the table, taped to the sofa and armchairs, on the TV-stand and around the TV... 

“We don’t know what an American Christmas is like, but we wanted for you to feel at home so this just _ happened_,” An explained and her tone was slightly defensive.

“It’s magical!” Tatsuya sighed out and laid her worries to rest. “I love it!” He put down the bag in his hand and got on his tip-toes to hug the young woman and plant kisses to both her cheeks. He failed to stop the waterworks and by the time he was reaching up to hug and kiss Reiichi, tears were streaming down his cheeks.

“Tatsu-chan?” Reiichi wrinkled his nose in the same way Atsushi did whenever he was taken aback by something.

“Thank you for taking such good care of me.” Tatsuya had always loved Christmas but that year he had dreaded it. Originally he had been supposed to go to America to visit his mother, but he had opted to move that visit for summer, not yet wanting to meet her new family. Meanwhile his father had never really cared about the Holidays, so he hadn’t minded about Tatsuya spending Christmas with a friend. Besides, he had been busy with a case. This was better for both of them.

Being so openly welcomed and loved by the Murasakibaras who barely knew him was so heartwarming that Tatsuya was left speechless.

“Atsu-chan, I don’t think you show him enough love if he’s this quick to tear up because of those two idiots,” Natsuki chuckled, which instantly led Atsushi to pull Tatsuya into his arms – right where he belonged. The rest of the day Atsushi didn’t miss a chance to touch him, even if it was just holding hands as they sat next to each other on the sofa during gift giving.

Tatsuya was nervous about the presents he had bought. Hopefully they were good enough. His palms were sweating a bit when all the presents were finding their ways to their recipients and the sound of crumbling wrapping paper filled the living room. For some reason he really sought to impress Atsushi’s family.

Reiichi was delighted by the cologne Tatsuya got him, and Natsuki exuberantly thanked him for the gift card to a music store. An’s face lit upon seeing the eyeshadow palette and also gave her gratitude to Tatsuya for the shirt that Atsushi had got her.

“Atsu-chan wouldn’t have known to buy something this fancy without some help so it was either you or that model and my money is on you,” she said as she held the black shirt up.

Katsumi and Kaiyo were poking the beaks of the glass birds against one another while giggling in a bubble of their own. Atsushi had given him a hint about the nature inspired decor in their apartment, so the birds were probably well liked. Coming up with something for Atsushi’s parents had been more challenging but luckily all the framed pictures of the family and artistic nature shots in the house had lead him to the correct tracks, and Ayako opened the wrapper to reveal a photo album with classy decorations on the cover. The couple smiled at him sincerely and Ayako even got up to hug him.

Once he knew he had somewhat succeeded with his gifts, Tatsuya turned his attention to the presents in front of him and marvelled at everything he got: a brand t-shirt from An, a cookbook with recipes from around the world from Ayako, a brand new video game from Natsuki, a stylish leather belt from Reiichi, a watch from Katsumi and Kaiyo, and a dinner table reservation for two at a fancy restaurant in Tokyo from Mr. Murasakibara! The reservation was set for the 28th, which was so far free of plans for both him and Atsushi.

Atsushi showed his adorable tsundere side when he tried to nonchalantly pass two clumsily wrapped presents to Tatsuya by just shoving them onto his lap. Inside the smaller one was a box of chocolates and a single glance at the packet let on that the contents were proper delicacies. Tatsuya thanked his boyfriend with a chaste kiss to his cheek before ripping the wrapping paper off the other box.

“No way…” Tatsuya sighed. Atsushi had actually got him new basketball shoes and they definitely weren’t from the cheaper end of the price range. The black shoes had purple and white stripes and the size appeared to be correct. He jumped up onto Atsushi’s lap and gave him a squeezing embrace. “They’re perfect Atsushi. Thank you!”

“Well you play too much so your shoes never last long...” Atsushi muttered but a rare tone of contentment was present in his voice.

“Open mine.” Tatsuya passed him an envelope and Atsushi eyed at it with suspicion, having mainly received snacks and a new smartphone from his parents. When he pulled out the piece of paper in it, his expression changed to one of shock. It was a receipt for the room Tatsuya had booked for them from an onsen in Akita over the weekend of the 14th and 15th of February.

“You can go with anyone you want,” he said nervously when Atsushi didn’t say anything. “Like Suzuki, or Akashi, or Ryota, or Ku –”

He was silenced by Atsushi’s lips over his mouth. They weren’t rough or demanding like usual but gentle, loving. That moment of warmth existed only between them, the people watching forgotten.

“Stupid Murochin,” Atsushi exhaled against Tatsuya’s cheek. His skin tingled.

“Good. Now I don’t have to ask Taiga to accompany me for the dinner,” Tatsuya teased and settled his head against Atsushi’s shoulder but the other tensed beneath him, his breath caught in his throat and mouth pulled into a frown. Maybe bringing up his little brother hadn’t been the right call, because Atsushi clearly harboured some insecurities about their closeness and the ring dangling on top of Tatsuya’s hideous Christmas jumper. Fingertips pressed down into his hip intently, hard enough to bruise. Or maybe bringing up Taiga had been exactly the right call. They were only two weeks into their relationship yet it was the most solid thing in his life at that moment and every new mark on Tatsuya’s body was proof of that.

“Neh, Tatsu-chan!” Reiichi’s voice pierced their peace with each drawn-out syllable. Tatsuya realised everyone was staring at them so he offered bright smiles all around. “Atsu-chan said you can sing well, so how about we sing some Christmas songs together? Natsuki promised to play the guitar for us.”

Free will was an illusion and he was dragged to join the other Murasakibara siblings. Atsushi of course complained – not about them getting separated, but about the musical talents of everyone in the family.

“Murochin doesn’t deserve to hear something so horrible.”

“Oh hush!” An snapped at him. “Don’t be such a killjoy, when we hog your Murochin for a bit. Besides, Reiichi, Natsuki and I practised for this so we’re going through with it.”

And so they did. They sang perfectly out of tune to the backdrop of quality instrumentals courtesy of Natsuki’s impressive fingerwork over the guitar strings, and every now and then new voices joined their choir, but Atsushi, without fault, stayed quiet. 

“C’mon sing with us, Atsushi.” Tatsuya tugged his arm and turned a pleading gaze on him, but the boy refused to budge, mumbling that he didn’t know the lyrics as an excuse – as if Tatsuya, who only knew the English versions of the songs, was doing any better. “I’ll sing a song just for you, if you sing a bit.”

There were signs of his composure cracking on Atsushi’s face before it settled into an annoyed scowl.

“If this is another one of your stupid jokes, I’ll crush you.”

“_I don’t want a lot for Christmas_,” Tatsuya began humming and the furrow between Atsushi’s brows deepened, “_There is just one thing I need._” A word by word his voice gained confidence as the world returned to its status quo of housing only two people. He beckoned for Atsushi to stand and the other complied, allowing Tatsuya to hold his hands in a one-sided dance.

“_I just want you for my own, more than you could ever know. Make my wish come true. All I want for Christmas is you._” 

The guitar chimed in at some point during the second verse as well as the steady beat of Natsuki’s foot tapping against the floor. Annoyance was fading from Atsushi’s features, replaced by a flustered blush. English wasn’t his strong suit but either he recognised the song or caught enough words to know the meaning.

Tatsuya decided to be more playful and added some distortion to his voice for a heavier sound during the verses but for the chorus he always returned to a softer, more seductive tone. The back and forth with its accompanying gestures managed to eventually coax a shy smile out of Atsushi that by the end of the song had grown into a bright childlike grin.

“_Baby, all I want for Christmas is you! _” Tatsuya finished on a high note, and when it was over, Atsushi dipped down to kiss him.

“Merry Christmas, Murochin.” Atsushi lingered, lips ghosting over Tatsuya’s, expecting more, but Tatsuya somehow managed to compose himself instead of dragging Atsushi upstairs.

“Now I’ve embarrassed myself plenty enough so you must sing Jingle Bells with us,” Tatsuya said with a smirk. Atsushi groaned but agreed.

His singing voice had the same drawl to it as his speaking voice, but underneath the raspy sound was a joyful warmth that shone through despite Atsushi’s efforts to hide it. He was a flower breaking into bloom and the sight made Tatsuya’s heart flutter.

After a delicious dinner they retreated into Atsushi’s room to try all the different types of snacks he had received, sharing every new taste through a passionate kiss.


	21. The Curious Events of Kuroko's Birthday

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is the type of crack I've wanted to write since the beginning and the fight over Himuro is heavily based on the character song Prime Position

She’d nearly got him. Sacchin was relentless with her methods. It wasn’t as though Atsushi hated his old teammates, but he really wasn’t bothered to go all the way to Tokyo just to play streetball with them even if it was for Kurochin’s birthday. Murochin too encouraged him to go, but the train journey was annoying.

Murochin’s phone rang. Atsushi didn’t have time to see the caller’s id before Murochin picked it up but he found out soon enough.

“Himurocchi!” Kisechin yelled so loudly at the other end of the line that Murochin had to hold the phone away from his ear. Were the two plotting together? Atsushi grabbed the phone.

“Tell Sacchin no means no. I won’t come to Tokyo. And don’t bother Murochin again!” He ended the call before Kisechin or Sacchin had time to respond. Only half a minute passed before someone called Atsushi again. It was Akachin, so he couldn’t not answer.

“I’m arranging a practice match between Rakuzan and Yosen in Tokyo for Monday 2nd of February, so I’d advise you to come for the weekend so we can all hang out,” Akachin explained calmly as if this sudden practice match just happened to coincide with whatever Sacchin had planned out.

He really hated his friends.

***

“You’re Yosen’s Himuro-san, aren’t you?”

Tatsuya recognised that voice from the mental folder of his most embarrassing memories, and sure enough, the boy was that sharp-eyed point guard from Midorima’s team who had a contagious laugh.

“You’re Shuutoku’s Takao-kun, right?"

Takao was riding a bicycle and dragging a rickshaw behind it. After Tatsuya explained that he was lost, the boy offered him a ride, because apparently he somehow understood the crappy map Taiga had drawn.

“Hop right in. There are no seatbelts so hold on tight!” Takao tapped the side of the rickshaw invitingly. Tatsuya stared at the boy.

“I couldn’t possibly make you drag me around.”

“Nah, that’s no problem,” Takao grinned brightly. “My legs are strong after giving Shin-chan lifts for half a year, because that lucky bastard never loses in rock-paper-scissors.” Tatsuya still eyed at the other with uncertainty but climbed onto the rickshaw. Surely the poor boy couldn’t drag Midorima around in it all the time. Surely not.

“Isn’t doing something like this all the time bothersome?”

Takao seemed surprised by the question and his face pulled into a cute thoughtful expression. For some reason he reminded Tatsuya of a tiny nestling when his eyes widened. 

“Sure I complain to Shin-chan but it’s kinda fun… I assume yours can’t be any easier to handle, but they sure are entertaining.”

“My what?” Tatsuya blinked and cocked his head in confusion.

“Your Miracle!” Takao exclaimed like it was obvious. “Shin-chan sometimes gets talkative so I’ve heard this and that about Murasakibara as well. According to Shin-chan he doesn’t listen to anyone except for that red demon.”

“I have my ways of handling him just fine.” Tatsuya gave him a meaningful smile. He thought that his straightforwardness must have been too much even for Takao who turned around and started pedaling, but oh how mistaken he was as a judge of character. They only got a few meters along, before Takao stopped to laugh vigorously. 

“Duly noted! I don’t think I’ll ever forget that encounter,” he cackled. Well, that made two of them. Once Takao had calmed down, they were on their way again. “So how are things going in Candyland?”

“Settling into a rhythm, I would say, with practice and exams and shopping for snacks. All in all we are managing just fine.” Tatsuya couldn’t help smiling to himself at the memory of all the study sessions that had turned out short because both he and Atsushi were in dire need of lessons in self-control. “How about you? Do you mind me asking, are you and Midorima…?” Even he couldn’t word the question completely, in fear of offending the other, but Takao just laughed.

“Shin-chan? He’s taking his tsundere ways to such an extreme that I’m not sure if he even considers me a friend, so no, we are nothing like you and your Mr. Purple Giant. Y’know, after the Winter Cup, a girl he had tutored a bit confessed to him, and he just _bolted_! Like actually up and left to shoot those crazy shots for an hour. He might have said sorry before leaving... Not sure but it was hilarious!”

The joking manner in which the boy babbled made it impossible to deduce what his own sentiments were, so Tatsuya dropped the matter. Whatever those two had was between them, but oh did it translate beautifully on the court in an absolute trust.

“Well, I think your Miracle has more faith in you than mine in me,” Tatsuya opted to say, never elaborating what he meant even when Takao glanced back at him curiously.

Atsushi wouldn’t have left the game in his hands in a clutch. Things were fine and dandy as long as he believed they were going to win, but once Seirin had started gaining on them and Taiga had entered the Zone, Atsushi had called Tatsuya useless. On the other hand, Midorima had wagered everything on Takao’s pass. Tatsuya’s ridiculous habit of getting jealous over the smallest of things reared its ugly head yet again. Having Atsushi was great – and they did trust each other – but as always, he wanted more.

Tatsuya let out a long exhale and cleared his mind. Atsushi and he would get there eventually. Perfect trust never happened overnight and they had known each other only for a few months with many more yet ahead to forge an unbreakable bond on the court.

***

Seeing Kurochin smiling so brightly made Atsushi a bit glad that his friends had forced him to come to Tokyo. He could have even been happy if he didn’t have to sit around the same table as Kagami Taiga and Kiyoshi Teppei, but thankfully both of them were busy and he had plenty of food to enjoy. He gave praise of it to Murochin even though the other always mentioned that Kagami had been of great help.

Murochin filled his plate before turning away from him again to chat with the short boy from Midochin’s team. They had been talking a lot, which wouldn’t have bothered him if Murochin hadn’t been flat-out ignoring him and brushing him off. Even Midochin seemed grumpy, but it was probably more to do with the fact that Murochin had cooked his lucky item.

“Tatsuya, d’you think we’ll need more food?” Kagami said as he crouched over Murochin to fill his plate.

“I think that is for the most part your fault, Taiga,” Murochin chuckled. “Well, I can cook something, and I suppose we will need more snacks as well, considering how many people there are…”

“Or should we order something from Maji Burger?”

“You never grow up, do you?” The laugh Murochin let out was so soft and precious. A sound that beautiful shouldn’t have belonged to Kagami when Murochin wasn’t his. “How about we just make some curry?”

The two continued their banter behind the kitchen counter. Murochin had spent months on training just to crush the red-head, but now they were disgustingly buddy-buddy, snickering amongst themselves. Why would Murochin want some idiot like Kagami as his brother? And wasn’t Kagami embarrassed to call someone as beautiful as Murochin a big brother?

Atsushi was chewing at the ends of the chopsticks and staring at the two when he felt a curious gaze on him. He glared down at Takao who looked like he was ready to burst into a fit of laughter at any given moment like he had a clear habit of doing.

“If you do anything weird, I’ll crush you,” he muttered under his breath.

“Murasakibara, I heard that,” Akachin scolded him with apparent amusement. Atsushi murmured an insincere apology to the black-haired shortie, who was closer to his breaking point than before, and resumed keeping an eye on Murochin who was wiping something off Kagami’s face. So annoying...

After the curry had been served so Minechin and Kagami could continue their stupid eating contest, Murochin settled back to his place beside Atsushi but started talking with Kisechin instead.

“Murochin, pass me some chips.” He had had enough.

“Wouldn’t you reach them better than me?”

“Too much of a bother.” They were on the other side of the table after all. With a sigh of defeat Murochin got up to his knees and reached across the table to scoop a large handful of chips. Atsushi took his chance and wrapped an arm around Murochin’s slender waist and pulled him onto his lap. “Feed me.”

“What are you doing?” Murochin hissed and he had a startled look on his face. Was he worried about bullies?

“My friends know and I don’t care about Seirin. If they hurt you, I’ll crush them.”

“I see,” Murochin chuckled lightly and held a chip up to Atsushi’s mouth. All was good, and he slouched down to rest his head against Murochin’s shoulder as the other kept feeding him.

As if what they were doing was extremely scandalous, people around them were quick to whisper.

“Mukkun, do you have something to disclose?” Sacchin chirped with sparkly eyes as if she hadn’t heard of their relationship the instant Kisechin had learned about it at least a month ago. Meanwhile Kagami started coughing violently, almost choking on his food as he shot up to his feet.

“Murasakibara! What the hell do you think you’re doing to Tatsuya?” he yelled. Every time the redhead opened his mouth Atsushi became all the more certain that his voice was the most annoying sound in the world – even more so than Reiichi-nii’s. He hugged Murochin a bit tighter, pulling him flush against his chest.

“Now pocky.” The packet was right in front of them on the table, and Murochin took a few sticks out – one for himself and the rest for Atsushi.

“Tatsuya, don’t just enable that idiot’s behaviour!”

“Murochin is mine so back off,” he grumbled before ignoring the other again to bite at the end of the strawberry pocky Murochin was chewing.

“Hold on a second… Tatsuya don’t tell me that _ thing _ is your new boyfriend!”

“Taiga, that’s very rude. But yes, we've been together since the Winter Cup.”

“And isn’t it glaringly obvious?” Midochin pushed his glasses up. “How much of an idiot can you be?”

“Well don’t forget that when we walked in on them making out, you taught that Murasakibara was beating Himuro up. That shit was hilarious!”

“Shut up, Takao!”

“You should just accept it, Kagami-kun.”

“But he doesn’t even understand how amazing Tatsuya is! Look how he’s forcing him to practically serve him.”

“Oi, no need to get your panties twisted and attack Murasakibara just because you’ll be a virgin forever, Bakagami,” Minechin mumbled around his food.

“Ahomine, you bastard…”

“Aomine-kun, I don’t think you are in a position to talk about anything relationship-related after you two-timed those girls during our second year.” Kurochin’s delivery was monotonous but Atsushi recalled how mad he had been at Minechin for how he’d treated those two girls. Atsushi hadn’t understood it at the time but now he kind of did.

“Make that three this year!” Minechin bragged which in turn pissed Sacchin off.

“And none as of now after I told those poor girls what you were doing.”

“Three? That’s cute, but my brother actually had five boyfriends at once! Or was it six…?”

“Taiga, shut up!”

“It still doesn’t make you any less of a virgin, Bakagami.”

They were so loud and they had made Murochin squirm in discomfort. Atsushi wasn’t so disturbed by the revelation, because Murochin had hinted at his colourful past. Sure, it annoyed Atsushi that so many people had seen Murochin the way he got to see him and touched him all over, but thinking about it was useless and bothersome. Murochin said that he only belonged to Atsushi, and he believed that statement. All the other ones belonged in the past anyway.

“Wow, Himurocchi… You’ve been quite busy…”

“Five?” Akachin perked up and the threatening aura emanating next to them made Atsushi squeeze the boy in his arms a bit harder to tell him on whose side he was. “Tell me, Himuro-san, what are your plans towards our Murasakibara?”

“I swear, those days are behind me for good.”

“Yeah, wasn’t it because you got serious about that one Japanese guy who sometimes played basketball with you? What was his name...?”

“Taiga, don’t.” Murochin was struggling against Atsushi’s hold, trying to get up.

“You called him Shuu, didn’t you?” Atsushi had heard that name a lot. Murochin ripped himself free and ran towards Kagami begging for him to stop.

“Nijichin?”

“Nijimura! Yes! That was his name! Wait, do you guys know him?”

***

The room was as silent as a morgue, and Tatsuya wasn’t quite certain whether or not it would house actual bodies by the end of the night. The Generation of Miracles stared at Taiga trying to wrap their heads around what he had said while Seirin members glanced back and forth between each other uncertain of what was going on. Number Two climbed onto Kuroko’s lap and barked twice.

“He was their captain before Akashi.” Tatsuya whispered to Taiga, who looked like he was really regretting the namedrop.

“Nijimuracchi was your boyfriend?” Ryota eventually broke the silence and Tatsuya couldn’t do anything but nod and keep his eyes cast down. He refused to look at Atsushi in fear of what he might see. He had never brought up his past with Shuu because it would have been troublesome to explain how they still managed to be on friendly terms. Right then he wished that he had mustered the courage to bring the topic up sooner just to avoid a situation such as the very one he was in.

“Nijimura-san… Interesting,” was all Akashi said, and Tatsuya honestly worried for his health. Taiga had told him about his encounter with Akashi’s scissors, so he knew that Akashi had no qualms about attempted murder.

“Wait, so Nijimura is gay as well? That makes four out of us: Kise and his weird obsession with Tetsu, Murasakibara who is actually in a relationship – still can’t believe that – and Midorima. No way that magazine was a lucky item when you had that wooden bear with you that day. Guys, please tell me at least someone else is straight before I get really paranoid about my own inclinations,” Aomine rambled on and on, not realising how he was overstepping his boundaries _ a lot_.

There was rustling beside him as the tall green haired Miracle got up and glared down at his old teammate. He opened and closed his mouth a few times but never found the right words to say, uncomfortable under the scrutiny of everyone in the room. Much like Tatsuya he avoided looking at a very special person who was gazing up at him with a mixture of curiosity and worry. So Takao hadn’t known… But there was no disgust to be found anywhere on his features. Tatsuya wanted to tell Midorima to just look down but he was already storming out to the balcony.

“You’re both horrible,” Tatsuya said to Taiga and Aomine, whom he didn’t even know that well, who were both stunned by the aftermath of their lack of discretion. “Think before you act.”

He marched over to the kitchen on a scavenger hunt. If Alex had been staying there, Tatsuya had a pretty good idea that a forgotten packet would be on a topshelf out of immediate reach. Her attempts to quit or at least cut back on smoking had never been the best and sure enough Tatsuya found a packet that was still full. He took a cigarette out and stuffed the packet into his pocket for possible later needs.

“Taiga, do you have a light?” he demanded in English and his little brother sheepishly went to get him a lighter. Without thanking him Tatsuya too headed out onto the balcony. That thing had better be big enough for two gays who had just got humiliated in front of strangers and, worse yet, people they cared about.

The air outside was brisk and he settled against the rail at the opposite end from Midorima.

“You don’t mind?” Tatsuya held the cigarette up and clicked the lighter for a flame.

“It’s your life you’re shortening, not mine,” Midorima said bluntly and turned away to face the night. Fair enough. Tatsuya lit the cigarette and inhaled deeply, an immediate wave of relief washing over him. 

“I blame you entirely.”

_ Oh_. He hadn’t expected Midorima to speak again.

“In my humble opinion what happened was more the fault of those two blabbermouths.”

“You cooked my lucky item.” So that’s what it was.

“Sorry about that. Had I known, I wouldn’t have done that.” After a long exhale, Tatsuya took a sidestep to get a bit closer to the other and turned to face him. “Are you afraid of what happens next?” Getting outed against your own will was never easy, in the worst cases it could mentally break you.

“Don’t be delusional,” the other scoffed.

“You seem to be awfully defensive, so it seems like it is quite a big deal.”

“It’s none of your business anyway, and just because you are happily together with Murasakibara and Kise jokes about his sexuality doesn’t mean all of us are as comfortable.”

Hearing Midorima’s words hurt, because Tatsuya had seen many who were somewhat like him. He knew how agonising hiding in the darkest corner of the closet could get. He offered an apology.

“Just know that Takao isn’t repulsed by you. He seemed worried about you,” Tatsuya said as he snuffed out the remainder of the stump. Midorima nodded calmly but the blush creeping to his cheeks betrayed his cool exterior. Those news had to be the greatest solace at such a time.

As if on cue, the door slid slightly open and Takao peeked outside.

“Shin-chan, is everything al –”

He yelped when two tall power forwards pushed past him, ushered forth by Kuroko and Momoi. Aomine stepped up to Midorima while Taiga blocked Tatsuya’s view. Both of them bowed down simultaneously.

“I am so sorry!” the pair shouted at the top of their lungs. Tatsuya couldn’t keep from chuckling a bit just at how ridiculous it was, but Midorima looked down at his friend, never once shattering his proud air. He still forgave Aomine who was clearly relieved but made him swear never to talk of the matter ever again. Taiga too promised not to bring up Tatsuya’s promiscuous past.

When the ordeal was over the pair returned inside, trying to one up each other on the worst way to call the other an idiot, but the name calling stayed at the level of playground insults. Only after the door was closed did Takao dare to walk up to them. Tatsuya gave Midorima a hidden thumbs up as encouragement before excusing himself. The conversation those two were about to have didn’t require third-wheels.

“Be gentle with him,” he whispered to Takao who looked a bit lost in the situation. It was an unfitting look for such a cheery guy, but every once in a while everyone got thrust out of their comfort zone.

He returned the lighter to where Taiga had found it from, and as he was putting the small box up onto the shelf, a shadow cast over him. Long fingers clasped around Tatsuya’s wrist and Atsushi pulled him into the bedroom where they could be alone.

“Were you and Nijichin really together?” he insisted, but he wasn’t angry, at least not at Tatsuya.

“Yes,” Tatsuya muttered. Even if Atsushi wasn’t furious, he felt weak and cornered with his back against the wall and Atsushi’s arms keeping him caged in place.

“For how long?”

“Well it was unofficial on-and-off at first but steady for around six months.” There was no point in lying even if Atsushi’s face contorted with the revelation. Shuu and Tatsuya had hit it off immediately, but around that time he’d been sleeping with just about anyone, even straight guys who just wanted to try him. Shuu had been a big part of helping him tear away from that destructive lifestyle.

“If you broke up, how come are you still talking to each other?”

“Because we care about each other. We were happy together for a while, but after some time I realised Shuu wasn’t all that I was looking for. I was greedy and wanted more, so I broke up with him, but not out of hate. Even Shuu realised that at some point our relationship had lost its spark and we were more like friends playing a pretend romance and the little sex we had was just about satisfaction, not passion. Of course things were awkward but we got past that and the fondness we shared translated into a friendship.” Tatsuya explained things as best he could and he wished that Atsushi would understand and believe him.

“Oh…” The cogs in Atsushi’s head must have been turning based on the way his facial muscles kept twitching. “So what’s different? With me...?”

Tatsuya was stupefied. The shy question was one he had never given thought to but that had always existed at the back of his head. What indeed? His memories of Shuu all had golden seams. Their relationship had been steady until it was over, not the same cocktail of urges and impulses he had with Atsushi, not ping pong with a ticking bomb. Everything had been so easy because he and Shuu had really thought in the same way and even when they did face conflict, it was never about anything that could have destroyed their thing and they still understood each other. It had been a dream relationship, yet Tatsuya had fled.

“I don’t know,” he sighed. “I truly don’t, but with you everything is more exciting, even the dull things.” Maybe that disconnect between them that he had worried about was what made them stick together even tighter. Understanding wasn’t easy but that just gave resolution an all the sweeter taste.

“And if we broke up, would I be like Nijichin? Still a friend.”

“No. But I wouldn’t stop caring.” That question at least was easy. Their fire would burn out or burn forever. The unholy amount of carnal lust he had for Atsushi on top of the need to be mentally and physically close to him would make returning to their prior friendship impossible.

“Good, because if that happened I would hate you.” Atsushi looked at him grimly before bending down to connect their lips. Time for words was over.

A large hand closed around Tatsuya’s neck to hold him in place as Atsushi’s tongue ravaged his mouth. This time Atsushi didn’t even seem to care that he had just smoked, which could only mean that he wasn’t seeking pleasure as much as he was asserting his dominance – like it wasn’t absolute already.

“Your phone is annoying. Turn it off.”

Tatsuya hadn’t even noticed that it was beeping from a bombard of messages, all from Shuu. Impeccable timing… And wasn’t it like two in the morning in LA? He had to open the messages just in case it was something serious, which it definitely was.

_ Tatsuya! _

_ Why is Akashi asking me about you? _

_ What exactly is going on in there? _

_ Oi Tatsuya! Don’t go MIA on me! _

_ What the hell do I do? _

“Fuck me, I’m dead. Akashi is actually going to kill me. And we still have that practice match up ahead.”

“I won’t let him.” Atsushi grabbed the phone out of his hand and tossed it on the bed. “Akachin won’t kill you and Nijichin won’t ruin my meal time.” Before Tatsuya could fully even comprehend what he was hearing, Atsushi was already kneeling down and working his belt open. They were in Taiga’s bedroom with the Generation of Miracles and Seirin team right behind the door and yet Tatsuya didn’t even attempt to stop Atsushi. “You’re my captain now, right?”

“Yes,” he whimpered and tangled his fingers into Atsushi’s hair.

***

The scream from the living room forced Atsushi to pull away from Murochin. Was everyone dead-set on ruining his dessert?

“Taiga?” Murochin fumbled to put his clothes back in decent shape before hurrying where the others were. Atsushi decided to follow him while cursing Kagami with every possible insult he could come up with. Could that redhead get any less likable? 

“What’s going on?” Murochin asked. Kagami looked absolutely lifeless where he had retreated to amongst his team members, leaning heavily against poor Kurochin.

“He said something about bleach and I think Aomine-kun is currently searching for a bottle,” Kurochin replied with a deadpan tone. 

“Murasakibara…” Kagami growled and his reanimated corpse rose to its full height. “I’ll fucking kill you.” The pieces connected in Atsushi’s head. He thought he had heard the door click at some point but he hadn’t really cared enough to check if someone had walked in on them. Now a part of him was glad. Who would have wanted to see Kagami’s dumb mug while having Murochin down their throat? Not him! “Get out of my apartment!”

“If he goes, I go.” Murochin stepped between them, which made Kagami’s determination waver.

“Kagami-kun, aren’t you being a bit rude?”

“Rude?” Kagami yelled, fully resurrected. “You aren’t the one in need of years of therapy to unsee what I saw! And in my room of all places! That’s public indecency.”

“Taiga, I’m so sorry,” Murochin said in horror when he finally caught up. “I swear it wasn’t purposeful and just happened. We won’t do anything again.”

“Who cares?” Minechin got up from behind the kitchen counter. “Murasakibara seems content so I don’t really see a problem. Anyways, I can’t find the bleach. Looks like you’ll have to gouge your eyes out.”

“I don’t care about what that _ thing _ is feeling, when it’s being inappropriate with my brother.”

“Taiga, he has a name. Apologise immediately.” Murochin was really pissed. The words didn’t really affect Atsushi that much even though they were very mean. Had anyone but Kagami said them though, Atsushi would have maybe bothered enough with a threat to crush them, but Kagami and he were at war so it was somewhat acceptable. What was nice though was having Murochin rush to defend his humanity. There weren’t many outside his old teammates who didn’t see him as some kind of a monster, but Murochin had always treated him well. Atsushi liked that.

“A peculiar choice of words, Kagami,” Akachin said all the while smirking forebodingly.

“I think I’m in need of a new light…”

“Here here, Kurokocchi! Come to Kaijo to play wi –”

“Aomine-kun, are you certain there wasn’t any bleach? We need two shots.”

“Ooh, you could say it’s time for _ lights-out_!”

“Izuki, go out to the balcony and jump off!”

“Fine!” Kagami caved in. “Jeez, I’m sorry! Just don’t do any weird stuff. And Murasakibara, if you hurt Tatsuya, I will kill you with my bare hands.” Something about the guy was somehow pathetic. As if Kagami could ever beat him. Ahlalalaa… Atsushi placed his hand on Kagami’s head to ruffle his hair. The weakling’s head moved around from the little force he applied.

“I guess I’ll live forever then... Come Murochin, feed me.”

Murochin settled between his legs again and fed him whatever it was that caught his fancy on the table. Whenever Kagami was looking away, he would pull Atsushi down a bit and lick the crumbs off his face like a little house cat. It had been foolish to worry about Murochin’s past with Nijichin even if it still vexed him. Murochin belonged to him completely even if he was in a glass cage with the door wide open.

At some point Midochin dared to return inside with his friend. They must have talked everything through, because even though Midochin was a bit more guarded than usual, he had by no means got his tongue stolen, and Takao was as loud as ever though he checked in on Midochin a bit more than earlier.

Kurochin was being pampered by Kisechin and Sacchin, though more by the latter because Kisechin seemed quite interested in chatting with someone – or at least he was constantly checking his phone and occasionally crying about being hated and abused. Seirin were playing different kinds of card games with Takao, while Minechin and Kagami had decided to duke it out over an action game. Honestly, both of them sucked but Atsushi wasn’t bothered to get up to show them how it’s done.

Akachin was calmly watching over everything, somehow managing to be everywhere at once: chatting friendly with Seirin’s players, playing with Number Two, discussing literature of all things with Kurochin, challenging Midochin to a game of shogi on the set he had brought with him, and keeping a very keen eye on Atsushi and Murochin.

“Are you sure he doesn’t want me dead?”

“Yup, he’s just watching out for me. This Akachin likes his friends.”

“You guys really do protect each other, don’t you?” Murochin giggled.

“Nah, not just each other anymore.” He risked it and kissed Murochin’s sweet lips.

“Oi Murasakibara! That’s a strike! Get three and your ass is out on the road for real!” Kagami yelled from the sofa. How the hell had that bastard even seen anything when he was playing with Minechin?

“Ugh, Kagami sucks,” he grumbled and in a bold move of defiance kissed Murochin again with enough tongue and force to elicit a heated moan from the depths of Murochin’s chest. It was worth another strike.

“Dude, I don’t think I’m the one of us who sucks…” Kagami mumbled which made Takao spit out his drink and one of the Seirin players nearly choked on a potato chip.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I might actually go on hiatus or end the fic here. 
> 
> I'm kinda not vibing with it any more even though I love it, but it's just keeps getting worse and worse so what's the point y'know. I actually planned everything for these two up to their deaths so maybe one day when I feel the vibes and I've regained some confidence I'll be back. Who knows, might be a month or half a year but I really want to write more of these two.
> 
> Anyways, thank you for coming on this mess of a journey! And all the best for the upcoming year! <3


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